Consumer Protection Division Takes Action
Against Two Home Builders
Division Reaches Settlement with 14 Additional Home Builders

BALTIMORE, MD (November 30, 2007) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that his Consumer Protection Division’s Home Builder Registration Unit has suspended the registration of Highpoint Homebuilders, Inc. of Hunt Valley for violating the Home Builder Registration Act. Highpoint failed to pay a judgment entered against it in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. The Unit also denied the registration of Richard A. Baxter, t/a Baxter Construction of Newark, Delaware. Baxter Construction also had a judgment entered against it in favor of a consumer that it failed to satisfy. It is a violation under the Home Builder Registration Act to have an unsatisfied final judgment in favor of a consumer.

“We are committed to enforcing the laws that protect Maryland consumers when they purchase a new home,” said Attorney General Gansler. “Builders who do not abide by Maryland laws will not be allowed to build homes in Maryland.”

The Unit also entered into settlement agreements with 14 other home builders who have agreed to pay penalties to settle allegations that they violated Maryland’s building laws, including operating without being registered or failing to make required disclosures to the Home Builder Registration Unit in their registration applications.

The settlements were with the following builders:

• Mitchell W. Zajac Custom Home Builder, Inc. (Calvert County)
• Carol Lynn Construction, LLC (Somerset County)
• The Home Show - Morgantown, Inc. (Morgantown, WV)
• Engle/Gilligan, LLC (Hollywood, FL)
• Emerge Home, Inc. (Prince George’s County)
• Extraordinary Custom Homes, Inc. (Prince George’s County)
• Classic Group, LLC (Montgomery County)
• Gregory D. Mortimer Properties, Inc., t/a Gregory Mortimer Builders (Garrett County)
• Improvement General Contractors, LLC (Montgomery County)
• Ridge Valley Construction Company (Calvert County)
• Russell Dadds, t/a Eastern Custom Homes (Caroline County)
• E&J Contractors, Inc. (Washington County)
• George Albert Bowersox t/a G&T Builders (Allegany County)
• Margroff Construction, LLC (Garrett County)

The settlements prohibit the companies from acting as home builders in Maryland unless they first register with the Home Builder Registration Unit and they comply with additional State laws governing home builders. The builders also agreed to submit to arbitration to resolve consumer complaints that cannot be resolved through mediation.

Consumers can check whether their builder is registered by contacting the Division’s Home Builder Registration Unit at (410) 576-6573 or toll-free at (877) 259-4525, or by visiting the Attorney General’s website at www.oag.state.md.us/homebuilder.