Troubleshooters: Update on unfinished construction job

In this Troubleshooter’s Report, we have an update on a New Hanover County woman in a dispute with a contractor.

Linda Kasyan hired Brian Duffy to build a sunroom for her. After she had already paid him thousands of dollars, she found out he never got a permit and the work he had started did not pass code.

Linda wanted to take Mr. Duffy to small claims court, but despite more than half a dozen attempts, sheriff’s deputies were never able to find Duffy to serve him a summons.

When we did the story last month, several attorneys recommended that Linda use “service by publication,” where Linda could place an ad in the newspaper, ordering Brian Duffy to court. While that is a legal avenue in many cases, we have since found out it is not allowed in small claims court, which put Linda back to square one.

She has now decided to write this off as a loss on her taxes, but she hopes our stories serve as a warning to other would be customers of Brian Duffy.