Nearly nine months after a country music legend’s son and daughter-in-law were sued over a thorny construction payment claim, the San Antonio builder has reached a closed-door agreement with George Strait Jr. and his wife, Tamara, to keep the matter out of court. However, both sides remained silent on the terms of the resolution.
On May 5, Build Modern — a San Antonio firm responsible for several modern buildings around downtown San Antonio — was junior Strait and Wife in Kendall County District Court. Build Modern owner David Robertson is being sued for more than $100,000 after he allegedly refused to pay for services and left a negative balance on his contract due to what he said were delays.
Now, after months of private remediation efforts, local builders are withdrawing their lawsuits.
“[Build Modern] All defendants have at this time settled all claims between them, [Build Modern] and the Heritage Oaks Trust, all defendants Tamara Strait, George Strait Jr., and Heritage Oaks Trust, through its trustee, Kalyn Carroll,” Robertson wrote in an order dismissing the lawsuit filed in early January in Kendall County, north of San Antonio.
A judge signed the order two days after the filing on Jan. 8. MySA spoke to representatives from both parties, but both declined to comment on the resolution of the case. As such, the details behind the deal struck between the two remain a mystery.
However, previous court documents show that Build Modern is seeking at least $57,000 in unpaid construction services, with $67,662 remaining on the contract, for a total of $124,662. Robertson also wants Strait and the Trust to pay costs and exemplary damages incurred in the lawsuit, in an amount to be determined by a jury.
At the request of George (“Bubba”) and Tamara Strait, the case entered private arbitration. The couple and their attorneys pointed to a common clause in the renovation project — which was created by Build Modern and the couple to renovate their Texas Hill Country home — that requires some form of mediation or arbitration before a lawsuit can be filed.
The arbitration order was signed by a judge on June 3, meaning private negotiations to resolve the dispute lasted about seven months.
The renovations will cost $221,225 and are expected to be completed by Nov. 1, 2024, according to court documents filed before a judge ordered the private remediation. However, the company said Tamara Strait made several decisions that delayed completion, including ordering back-ordered cabinets that were not expected to be delivered until December, refusing to delay deliveries after the flooring had already been partially installed, and hiring its own subcontractors that were supposed to be included in the contract with Build Modern.
“A series of actions were taken in the Tamara Strait that resulted in economic losses [Build Modern] and make it impossible [the company] The company alleges that “it was necessary to complete the project in a timely manner. On top of that, when requests for payment were made to her, she repeatedly delayed payment.”
The lawsuit alleges Strait conspired with Heritage Oaks Trust to terminate the contract in December after allegedly failing to make several scheduled payments, hiring subcontractors from the “modern construction” project and stalling the process because the project exceeded its Nov. 1 deadline. Build Modern said Tamara Strait was “fully aware” of the updated project timeline and why it had to be delayed.
This article was originally published on George Strait’s son and daughter-in-law quietly reconciled after mediation.
