Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is suing the people at Ashley Contractors LLC after he says they stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from homeowners they promised to do work for but never delivered.
"We're taking this action to protect consumers," said DeWine in a statement.
In the consumer protection lawsuit, he names Ashley Nihiser and Brian Stepp of Ashley Contractors, of Medina, claiming they stole over $82,000 from consumers and did partial or shoddy work on their kitchen, bathroom, basement and other renovations.
"I was really in a bad place and did not feel like this project was ever going to see competition," said one homeowner.
That homeowner is one of six people named as victims in the AG's lawsuit. The Medina homeowner had her backyard redone and a sunroom addition put on her home, but it wasn't easy.
"I would have him show up periodically, do a little bit of work, just enough where he would tell me I would owe him more money," she said.
She said Brain Stepp, wouldn't show up for weeks or months at a time until finally she threatened litigation. That's when he finally finished the job, but she's not satisfied.
"I’m now experiencing some cracks in the cement, the sunroom has electrical problems, circuit breakers are constantly being tripped," she said.
DeWine says Ashley Contractors was dissolved in 2017 and urges consumers to check for complaints filed by other customers before hiring a contractor.
