Chatham County contractor accused of code violations will face contractors board

A contractor accused of building a home with potentially dangerous code violations, just had a settlement deal in the case taken off the table.

It was an unexpected move from the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, who was expected to consider the settlement agreement in October.

The contractor in this situation is Jeremy Lindley. His company, Lindley Builders, Inc., built a home in Chatham County that engineers have said was so poorly built, the structural problems aren’t worth fixing and it would be cheaper to tear down and rebuild.

5 On Your Side first showed you the problems with Jake and Anita Muehlbach’s home back in May.

Despite numerous code violations by the builder, the county inspector missed those violations during his inspections.

One of the complaints the Muehlbachs’ filed about Lindley was with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors.

Attorneys for the Board reached a settlement with Lindley’s attorneys in August and the board was going to decide whether to accept the deal in October.

However, 5 On Your Side learned this morning that instead of considering the settlement, the board chose to hold a hearing and review all the evidence against Lindley.

"I think this is a moral victory for us for sure that he’s going to have to go before the contractors board and answer for his actions, Jake Muehlbach told 5 On Your Side. "As far as recovering money from our judgment, or making repairs to our home, you know, that doesn’t help us much there. But, it’s hopefully the board will make the right decision and at least protect future homeowners."

5 On Your Side did reach Jeremy Lindley today on the phone, he told us he doesn’t know why the board decided on a hearing instead of the settlement and wouldn’t comment further.

5 On Your Side will let you know what happens at that hearing in October.