Two subcontractors have sued Harvey Honore Jr. and his son Aaron in East Baton Rouge Parish, alleging the pair left construction bills unpaid on jobs from Baton Rouge to Lafayette. WBRZ's headline put the combined claim at $435,000.
The civil fight sits next to a public role. Honore Jr. is a gubernatorial appointee on the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, the body that can fine contractors or suspend and revoke their licenses, WAFB reported. WBRZ reported that the suits landed in the 19th Judicial District Court.
What The Suits Allege
Construction Specialties LLC filed the first case on July 21. Shane Grimmett of that company alleges Harvey Honore Jr. and Aaron Honore owe $349,344.40 for construction work, and that they refused to pay despite multiple requests. The suit calls the alleged nonpayment a breach of contract.
Plumbing M.D., a Walker-based plumbing company, filed the second case on Aug. 18. It alleges $85,309.94 was left unpaid despite repeated demands, and that the nonpayment is also a breach of contract. WAFB described that claim in round figures, at $85,000.
Taken as reported, the two lawsuits put the alleged debt at $434,654.34, the figure behind WBRZ's rounded headline. Both suits also allege violations of the Louisiana Private Works Act, and the subcontractors are seeking legal fees and interest. A hearing in the Grimmett case is set for Nov. 30.
Schools, Shops And Houses
The Construction Specialties suit says the company was subcontracted on six projects, including multiple jobs at St. Michael High School in Baton Rouge. WAFB reported that Grimmett claims the Honores hired him for a local private high school, a Baton Rouge car dealership and a project in Lafayette.
Plumbing M.D.'s suit points to a different set of addresses. It says the Honores subcontracted the company for work at two LoneStar Electric Supply locations, one in Lafayette and one in Baton Rouge, and at two Baton Rouge homes. One of those homes, the suit says, is owned by the younger Honore.
Documents, A Denial And No Charges
The Honores are part of Harvey Honore and Company. Their court response says Grimmett had not supplied contractual documents required before payment, including a clear lien certificate. Their attorney says HHC denies that any amount is due.
A separate inquiry is running alongside the civil cases. WAFB reported that an East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office investigation is ongoing and that the office has filed no charges. The payment figures, the project list and the claim of willful misconduct remain allegations in lawsuits, not findings.
A License To Judge Other Contractors
Gov. Jeff Landry appointed Honore Jr. to the licensing board, and he was confirmed earlier this year. Members serve six-year terms. The board's commercial and residential roster lists Harvey Honore Jr. in Building or Industrial Construction.
One of the lawsuits argues that his seat makes the alleged failure to pay particularly egregious and evidences willful misconduct and bad faith. Grimmett's attorney, DeJean, said he thinks Harvey Honore should recuse himself from imposing discipline on contractors accused of the same thing until the matter is resolved. The board's own tools for that discipline are fines, suspensions and license revocations.
The next dated step on the civil side is the Nov. 30 hearing in the Construction Specialties case. Whatever the court does with the bills, the unpaid-work allegations are already aimed at a man whose public job is deciding when other contractors have crossed the line.
