Wilmington family wins lawsuit against contractor who failed to do work they paid for
WILMINGTON, Ill. (CBS) – Scathing reviews are piling up for a Grundy County contractor.
One customer complained about "pathological lies. Another said he "never called or came to do the work."
Morning Insider Lauren Victory introduced us to a third angry victim who's celebrating a win despite being out more than $100,000.
"When everything you own is in there, the panic …," Amber Bormet recapped fighting back tears.
She told about the day she and her husband's house burned down in May 2021.
It was only a few months before Bormet gave birth to her and husband Will's son Cassius.
"Me being so pregnant was extremely, extremely hard on my pregnancy, on my emotional state, my husband's emotional state," she said.
They were forced to cram their life as new parents into a temporary home. They thought their house would be rebuilt by now.
In June 2021, the Bormets signed a contract with Ben Strainis of Strainis Contracting Service.
His company hired subcontractors to demolish the debris and excavate, but the couple said a missing permit delayed the concrete pour.
"It was just a slew of excuses and it really, it just went downhill from there," said Will Bormet.
The Wilmington homeowners got hit with almost $20,000 in liens because Strainis apparently "never paid his subcontractors." His "checks bounced" and "invoices never materialized."
That was all after the family handed over two checks from insurance totaling $76,000.
"I'm just thinking like, we're screwed," Will said. "And sure enough, he just goes, 'I don't have it.' He says 'The money's gone.'"
Amber added, "It just kind of knocked us off our feet altogether and took our breath away and we were like, now what?"
The couple sued Strainis and his company for breach of contract, fraud, and more. It took a while but finally this month, a judge at the Grundy County Courthouse ruled in their favor and ordered the contractor to pay up more than $100,000.
"It was like a huge weight off our shoulders," Will said.
They hope the civil lawsuit win inspires others in similar situations.
"You guys can stand up and do something," Amber said. "You guys can go to court."
The Bormets are trying to think positively even though collecting their cash is a whole other issue and they may never actually see a penny.
They scrounged together enough to get a new construction team on site, with hopes to bring Cassius to his real home by spring.
CBS 2 attempted to reach Ben Strainis in person, by phone, over email and via social media. We never heard back.