TOPEKA – (October 27, 2022) – Two Wisconsin men and their company have been banned from doing business in Kansas and ordered to pay $230,000 in penalties for alleged violations of state roofing and consumer protection laws, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.
Benjamin Thayer, of Cambridge, Wisconsin, and Ryan Metzker, of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, and Copperhead Contracting LLC of Milton, Wisconsin, are enjoined from operating as roofing contractors in Kansas. Shawnee County District Court Judge Mary E. Christopher approved a default judgment and ordered the defendants to pay $230,000 in penalties and banned from doing business in Kansas, including operating as roofing contractors.
Schmidt filed a petition on July 7, 2022, alleging that the defendants conducted door-to-door solicitations and entered into contracts with seven individuals and one business for roofing services following a hail storm in May 2018. The defendants were ordered to pay $70,000 in civil penalties for failing to register with the state as required by the Kansas Roofing Registration Act. Furthermore, the defendants were ordered to pay $160,000 for failing to provide consumers’ right to cancel transaction notices and failure to provide notice of cancellation forms advising the consumers of their three-day right to cancel, violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
In a separate case, a Sherman County roofer and his business have been banned from performing roofing services in Kansas and ordered to pay $10,000 in penalties after being found in violation of consumer protection laws, including the Roofing Registration Act.
Travis Hollingshead, doing business as Holly Enterprises, of Goodland, is enjoined from operating as a roofing contractor in Kansas. Sherman County District Court Judge Scott Showalter approved a consent judgment reached by Hollingshead and Schmidt’s office. Hollingshead was ordered to pay a $10,000 civil penalty and is banned from operating as a roofer in Kansas.
Schmidt filed the petition on September 20, 2022, alleging that Hollingshead had solicited and performed 36 roofing contracts in Kansas without holding a valid Kansas roofing registration certificate.
A copy of both judgments are available at www.ag.ks.gov/roofer-enforcement.
Both cases were litigated by Assistant Attorney General Sarah Dietz.
Schmidt reminded consumers to make sure roofing contractors have properly registered before signing any contract or having any roofing work done. Consumers should ask the roofing contractor for a copy of their roofer’s registration certificate. Consumers should also check the attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org to confirm the roofer’s registration is in good standing.