Consumer Law, Warranties Client did not pay for Engineering services. Can I file lien on the actual owner?

[stephan]

I did provide engineering services for a construction company. Their client (which I call the "owner") severed relationship with them, I was never paid on the plans I provided. The construction company never did any contruction work for their client. How can I recoup the fee without getting into a law suit with the construction company, which I would like to keep a good working relationship? I had a contract with the construction company, with a 10% interest clause for every 30 days of unpaid invoice.

The owner is hiring another engineer to redo my plans, because, supposedly my fee is too high for their liking. So, can I sue the owner directly (I didn't have a contract with them) to recoup my fee? Can I file a lien directly to the property?

 

[Michael Wechsler]

The owner is hiring another engineer to redo my plans, because, supposedly my fee is too high for their liking. So, can I sue the owner directly (I didn't have a contract with them) to recoup my fee? Can I file a lien directly to the property?

This is a very good question. I'm not sure since you do not have an agreement with "owner" but with a middleman. However, you may have a claim against work done for owner (although not necessarily on the property itself.) I'd have to look into this since this isn't the usual situation and deals with real property issues. Did you speak to the company to discuss what to do? Did they get paid something on the job? If so, this is probably payment due for canceling your work. Figure this out before suing anyone. Good luck.