State Sues Former Oak Park Construction Outfit

A construction firm that once called Oak Park its home has been named in a lawsuit alleging it defrauded homeowners out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Janeen Heilman, Erick Zerse and Chris Bidigare, Michigan residents and one-time principals in Fairway Construction and Maintenance Services, were named in a lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in Cook County Circuit Court on Monday.

“The losses suffered by the dozens of consumers in these cases are staggering,” Madigan said in a news release. "We will be aggressive in our enforcement efforts, but I also urge homeowners to use great caution when hiring a contractor. Ask for references, and contact my office to check if complaints have been filed. Never feel pressured to sign agreements on the spot and always request estimates in writing.”

Fairway, which listed its company address as 1515 N. Harlem Ave. in Oak Park, was a short-lived entity. Records show it incorporated as company in Sept. 2009 and dissolved some 18 months later. During that time, Bidigare went on to form Rock Construction Management, based in Westchester.

According to the complaint, which accompanies this story as a PDF, Fairway and Rock Construction entered into contracts to perform home repairs that were never completed. The suit includes examples from four homes in Cook and Will counties, where homeowners shelled out hefty upfront payments — in one case a $111,000 down payment — only to have the jobs canceled without warning. In each case, the company refused to refund the homeowners money.

At least two homeowners in Oak Park have filed complaints with Madigan's office against Fairway for failing to complete the contracted repair work.

In addition to civil penalties, the suits aim to ban Heilman, Zerse and Bidigare from working in the home repair trade in Illinois, cancel any pending contracts with those companies and give restitution to the homeowners.

Madigan has also filed suit against alleged Mundelein "storm chaser" Ricky Shattuck, operating as RLCC, and against James D. Johnsen, operating as the Des Plaines-based Thermal Construction Windows.com.

Officials in Madigan's office are urging homeowners to contact the Illinois Attorney General's Consumer Fraud Hotline by calling (800) 386-5438, to report being victimized by a home repair scheme or to learn tips for finding a reputable contractor.