The town of Cape Elizabeth has filed a lawsuit claiming a local contractor ignored the town’s building codes by installing illegal electrical wiring in a home.
The town’s suit, filed in Cumberland County District Court July 12, alleges Norm Richman of Cape Builders put in electrical wires at a private home without a proper permit or license.
Town Manager Michael McGovern said the town does not often sue, but this case was more serious because the electrical work was “not only done without a permit, it was not done properly.”
“Speaking generally, if we see there’s a violation and it’s dangerous to the public safety, folks have to expect we will file a suit,” McGovern said. “Folks who have any work done on their homes should be absolutely sure the person has the permits to do it.”
McGovern said he always prefers “utilizing alternate dispute resolution techniques, i.e. court avoidance,” and that a proposed settlement received this week from Richman would be considered.
Richman did not return phone calls from the Current seeking comment.
According to McGovern, a settlement would usually consist of a fine and an agreement not to do it again, with the understanding that the next time the penalty would be more severe.
Cape Elizabeth Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Smith said this is the first violation the town has on record for Richman. However, some residents of Cape Elizabeth said this is not the first time Richman has acted unprofessionally.
Mary Bostwick hired Richman in August 2004 to build an upstairs apartment at her home on Dyer Road. Four months later Bostwick fired Richman after the contract expired with the project still uncompleted. She said she has now spent over $100,000 on a project that Richman had originally estimated at a cost of $17,000.
“I’m sure I’m not the only person who has had an unhappy situation with him,” Bostwick said.
Indeed, in 2002, Phil Gagnon of Cape Elizabeth sued Richman in small claims court for $3,803, the amount Gagnon said Richman owed him after a building project was cancelled.
Richman won the case, in which Gagnon claimed he never signed a contract but gave Richman $5,000 as retainers for lumber and windows and $1,000 for a building permit, according to court documents.
When Gagnon decided he didn’t want to go ahead with the project he asked for a refund of any money that wasn’t spent on the building permit or architectural drawings. Richman refused, accusing Gagnon of a breach of contract.
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