What is my liability if I did a bathroom remodel for a co-worker but I’m not yet licensed?
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What is my liability if I did a bathroom remodel for a co-worker but I’m not yet licensed?
I was planning on starting a business but I didn’t do any of the paperwork to get it started. I told her I wasn’t licensed or insured at that point. She said that she wanted me to do the job, and that she would buy all the materials. During the job I showed her everything that was going on and any problems that I was running into. When she purchased the materials, there were some questionable things that she purchased. I advised her that the products she bought were not the best of quality and I gave her suggestions on what to purchase to prevent any problems in the future. She refused to buy better materials, which resulted in a leak a couple of weeks later. She is now suing me for damages.
Asked on November 22, 2014 under Business Law, Connecticut
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 9 years ago | Contributor
So now you have personal liability instead of business liability because you have no business insurance to protect you. You need to hire an attorney and pay out of pocket. WHile you may indeed have defenses and be proven successful given your account of the issues with the material etc., you are going to have to pay an attorney to help you sort through that. It is up to the homeowner to prove that the leaks were caused by your negligence while you assert it was the materials she purchased. I would not advise doing this again and take the necessary steps to getting your license and insurance. Good luck.
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