Refusing to pay for construction services isn’t reserved only to the insolvent. Here and there we hear about well-to-do celebrities who get slapped with a mechanics lien and get involved in a construction dispute.
Last week, television personality Donny Deutsch was in the news about a dispute between him and his contractors and architect on the development of his Upper East Side (New York) townhouse. The Real Deal New York Real Estate publication reported that Deutsch was “facing a barrage of claims that he stiffed contractors and architects…”
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It looks like there are a few potential liens that have been filed, but an interesting note within the article highlights just how vulnerable mechanics lien claims are. I frequently blog about common mistakes made in the process and how valuable our service is to helping folks file mechanic liens and keep track of lien deadlines, and it looks like Gabellini Sheppard Associates could have benefited from our services.
According to the article, Gabellini Sheppard Associates did rendering work for Deutsch in 2010 and filed a lien against the property then, but they “ultimately lost out on the money because he’d forgotten to renew the lien” against the property. In New York, of course, mechanics lien claimants are authorized to file lien extensions, if they are filed properly and on-time.