CLAYTON — A St. Louis County contractor is suing businessman David Hoffmann after he allegedly failed to pay for more than $130,000 worth of work at a Clayton office building.
Creve Coeur-based Color Art Construction says in a lawsuit filed Monday that Hoffmann personally guaranteed he would make four payments totaling $131,458 for work at Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate’s building on Maryland Avenue in Clayton.
But after repeated attempts to get those payments, neither Hoffmann nor the real estate company responded to Color Art, according to the lawsuit.
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It’s not clear what work Color Art performed for Hoffmann. The company focuses on construction, remodeling and technology services.
Hoffmann did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Hoffmann Family of Cos. has faced several lawsuits this year over various projects in the St. Louis area, including its effort to turn Augusta into a national winery destination.
This isn’t the first problem at the Maryland Avenue building, where the lender is seeking to foreclose on the property.
Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate also faces a $329,448 lien from C&R Mechanical for unpaid work at the property.
Still, the Hoffmanns have made several big deals this past year, including buying Oberweis Dairy out of bankruptcy and acquiring the Pierre Laclede Buildings in Clayton.
The Hoffmanns also have bought shares in Iowa-based Lee Enterprises Inc., the parent company of the Post-Dispatch and other newspapers.
The company now owns 9.78% of Lee, according to a filing Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Hoffmanns also own shares in DallasNews Corp., which owns the Dallas Morning News in Texas.
Updated Tuesday with a link to the latest SEC filing.
Chuck Dressel, the former owner and current manager of Mount Pleasant Estates winery, talks about the changes taking place in Augusta as the Hoffmann Family of Companies begins to pour money into the town for renovations and updates aimed at turning the town into a national winery and vineyard destination.
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