Mechanics liens are serious business. Because of the potential for foreclosure, mechanics liens are a great tool available to those contractors, subs, and suppliers who face nonpayment. While the results of an ineffective construction payment chain are no laughing matter, from time to time a situation arises where mechanics liens and entertainment cross paths. Despite deep pockets, celebrities regularly face mechanics liens. This group includes Justin Bieber, Birdman, and Donny Deutsch. Recently, we even wrote a post about how Kendra Moore, former Miss USA, was facing mechanics liens on her home. Well it appears her co-stars from Real Housewives of Atlanta didn’t take notice, because another one faced mechanics liens – Kandi Burruss.
Kandi Burruss Faces Mechanics Liens
Kandi Burruss gained fame for her talents as a musician and songwriter. A former member of the 90’s group Xscape, Kandi’s career has seen a number of top 100 hits and even 3 platinum albums. As a songwriter, she has collaborated or written for Destiney’s Child, Alicia Keys, and Whitney Houston. If you’ve ever sung along to “No Scrubs” by TLC (I know that I have…), you’ve recited lyrics that she has written. Today, Burruss is one of the stars of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Kandi is also venturing into the restaurant business, which lead to recent mechanics liens.
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Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker decided to try their hand at the restaurant business with the Old Lady Gang restaurant, a southern eatery. The restaurant is now finished, but it certainly had its share of setbacks. Due to construction delays, this opening is months behind schedule.
According to Daily Mail, the restaurant was hit with two liens totaling $22K. The bulk of that number comes from a mechanics lien filed by their carpenter who sought over $16K in unpaid sums. The remaining $5K or so came from their air conditioning contractor. Both parties claim that they were given fraudulent checks by the general contractor. Unfortunately, this means that Burruss and Tucker likely had to pay for the same work twice in order to resolve the dispute. Copies of the liens filed by the carpenter and AC contractor can be found here and here thanks to Daily Mail.
Takeaway
Liens can be a pretty dry subject, but every now and then they pop up in the news. When they do, it serves as a great reminder that a mechanics lien can be filed for any number of reasons. Here, unfortunately, it appears that a general contractor took advantage of both Kandi Burruss and her subcontractors. This type of fraud is all too common, especially following storms and natural disasters. When a victim of fraud faces mechanics liens, the results can be devastating. Luckily, payment disputes did not derail this restaurant, and it appears Burruss and Tucker have been able to move on with their business.
Check out our other posts on mechanics liens for more insight on the subject. For insights into Georgia lien law, check out our Georgia Lien Law FAQs and our other Georgia posts.
