Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Wednesday a lawsuit filed against a Texarkana pool company for failure to complete projects and not paying subcontractors.
Rutledge said Richard Young, who does businesses as Young's Outdoor Solutions, violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by advertising and accepting money from consumers to install in-ground swimming pools, which he failed to complete, ultimately costing homeowners more than $430,000.
Rutledge also said Young outsourced work to subcontractors but failed to pay them, which resulted in collection letters and liens on the homes of consumers who had hired Young to build their pools.
"Young solicited contracts from hard-working consumers, only to take their money and run," Rutledge said. "Now these consumers are left with unsightly and dangerous holes in their backyards."
The lawsuit, filed in Pulaski County, states that Young knowingly made false representations to consumers, and that as soon as customers paid him a substantial amount of the contract price for an in-ground pool Young stopped working on the projects. The lawsuit states Young would give customers multiple excuses as to why he didn't complete the work, and when customers asked for reimbursement he promised to refund the payments, only to offer excuses or hot checks to consumers.
Rutledge is requesting that anyone who believes they have been harmed by Young or Young's Outdoor Solutions to file a consumer complaint with the attorney general's office.