Our custom home was to be completed October 1, 2019; the contractor quit in January. He never filed a proper "Stop Work" notice--only stated so in an email. No notice was ever filed on the property, given to us as owners or served on the bank. He simply sent an email stating "this serves as my official stop work notice". Is he liable for time lost and expenses to us as the owner now that he's tied up our property with an untimely filed lien? (Quit January 8 and filed his Mechanics Lien May 1, 2020.) Advise appreciated. And there's nothing in his contract that states 'time is of the essence'.