General contractor accused of fraud

A woman is suing a general contractor for fraud, claiming he made misrepresentations about the quality and timing needed to complete the project.

Ava Hawkins filed a lawsuit Nov. 20 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Jalil Dade, citing common law fraud.

According to the complaint,Hawkins entered into an agreement on April 18, 2011 with Freedom Mortgage Corporation to finance construction work on her property at 4324 S. Saint Lawrence Ave. in Chicago.

The complaint states the loan was a Federal Housing Administration rehab loan and that Gerald Sterward from GRS 203 Consulting was required to approve all repairs prior to their completion.

Hawkins claims Dade misrepresented to her the construction funds would not be drawn until Stewart inspected and approved the construction work. The complaint states Dade promised all the work would be done pursuant to federal guidelines and regulations and the cost estimates included all labor and materials sufficient to complete the work.

She claims Dade promised to complete the work in November 2011, but failed to do so.

Hawkins is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 and is represented by attorney Andjelko Galic.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2013L013273.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Cook County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it represents only one side of the story.