Imposter Engineer Causes Delays and Lawsuits

The following is what happens when you don’t choose your engineer wisely: Sunny Isles Beach Condominium, Winston Towers, contracted Custom Group Inc., in March 2013, for a $3 million project to do concrete restoration on all the building’s balconies. Custom Group took instructions from the man who claimed to be an engineer, after he inspected all 390 balconies and gave his recommendations on what needed to be done. Once the workers opened up the balconies, they found more concrete damage, causing delays to the project. Custom Group tried to question the engineer’s qualifications, which the condominium refused to acknowledge. A year after signing the contract, Custom Group walked away without finishing the work and were accused by the condominium for breach of contract. Custom Group filed a fraud counterclaim, stating Winston Towers “knowingly misrepresented the scope of work and the qualifications of the engineer.” The man in question, was actually a real estate broker with no engineering license. In trial, the President of Winston Towers Board of Directors, admitted to knowing that “the individual was not an engineer, that it was not important to her.” After much deliberation, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Custom Group, for $1.1 million on February 1, 2016.
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