Did job before I could pour concrete he never paid my invoices and said I was fired. Didn’t give reasons or anything in writing and owes me over $15k
1 reply
Sep 4, 2018
First - I don't blame you regarding taxes! I think we all need a little help, and Turbo Tax goes a long way to making that process easier. Second, I'm sorry to hear you've had payment troubles. It's unfortunate when a lien becomes necessary, but the ability to file a mechanics lien goes such a long way to help with recovering payment. Without knowing more about the timelines and type of work performed, it's hard to assess the situation. So I'll provide some resources that might clear things up, then I'll lay out some Louisiana lien law basics. Of course, feel free to post another question here if you need more information. Anyway, here are a few resources that might be helpful: (1) How to File a Louisiana Lien, (2) 5 Things to Know About Louisiana Liens, (3) Louisiana Mechanics Lien FAQ, and finally, (4) A Threat of Lien May Be Enough To Get You Paid. Here are some of the basics: First, in Louisiana, mechanics lien protection extends to prime contractors, subcontractors, laborers or employees, material suppliers, equipment lessors (if leased to owner, contractor or subcontractor by written lease), architects, engineers, and surveyors. Depending on your role on the job, preliminary notice may have been required at the start of the job. If preliminary notice was required but not sent, a lien claim may be deemed invalid, and a claimant may have to pursue some other avenue for recovery. The deadline to record a lien will depend on the claimant's role as well. A general contractor must file a mechanics lien within 60 days from the date of filing of the Notice of Termination. If no Notice of Termination was filed, then a contractor must file within 60 days from the substantial completion of the project. For parties other than the general contractor, if a Notice of Contract was filed on the job, a lien must be filed within 30 days of the completion of work. If no Notice of Contract was filed, the lien must be filed within 60 days after a Notice of Termination is filed, and residential material suppliers will have 10 more days. If no Notice of Termination is filed, then the claimant may base that 60 (or 70) day deadline off of the substantial completion of the work instead of a Notice of Termination.