Lawsuits piling up against metro-east contractor that vanished from market

Customers and creditors have filed at least 22 lawsuits in Madison and St. Clair counties seeking more than $4.5 million in damages from a company that used to be the metro-east’s largest homebuilder.

Lawsuits against C.A. Jones, Inc., formerly of Fairview Heights, also have been filed in other Illinois counties.

Plaintiffs include banks foreclosing on construction and renovation mortgages, stores demanding payment for overdue supply bills and homeowners alleging shoddy or unfinished work.

“It’s been a shocking experience for everybody,” said Shannon Stelling, executive officer of the Home Builders & Remodelers Metro East Association, based in Maryville.

“Our industry is not built that way. We have reputable, solid contractors who live in the communities where they build, and they care about their projects. This is not normal.”

C.A. Jones operated for three decades before largely disappearing from the market in 2025. It dropped out of the association and stopped posting on Facebook. Its Fairview Heights office is closed, its phone numbers are out of service, and its website is down.

Owner and President Mike Needles couldn’t be reached for comment, nor could founder Chris Jones, who sold the company four years ago but continued to serve as director for a time, according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s business entity database.

During the ownership change in 2022, C.A. Jones was celebrating construction of its 900th home.

How does a well-known contractor get so tangled in debt? A lawsuit filed by Liese Lumber Co. in St. Clair County Circuit Court last year offers a hint. It refers to a “long-standing oral agreement” that allowed C.A. Jones to buy materials on credit and pay later with interest.

In other words, history and trust.

“Beginning in or about November 2023, Defendant C.A. Jones, Inc. stopped paying,” the lawsuit stated. The Belleville lumberyard continued providing materials through March 2025.

The lawsuit stated that the overdue bill had grown to $155,246 by September 2025. C.A. Jones failed to answer the complaint or appear at hearings, court records show. In February, a judge issued a default judgment, ordering the company to pay $161,522.

Liese’s owners didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Respect turns to frustration

C.A. Jones was founded in 1995 and grew in size and reputation, not only for business but also community service. One of its charitable causes was Habitat for Humanity. Both Jones and Needles served as president of the Home Builders association. By the early 2020s, the company was building about 100 homes a year, leaders said.

But the company’s recent “implosion” has caused frustration among lenders, suppliers and consumers, according to Stelling.

“It’s been very impactful,” she said. “Does it kill the industry in the metro-east? Absolutely not. People pull up their bootstraps and continue on. But it’s a shame what has happened.”

C.A. Jones hasn’t filed for bankruptcy in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, and it’s still listed as “active” in the state’s business entity database. But the company is described as “out of business” on the Better Business Bureau website.

The bureau revoked its BBB accreditation in March after reportedly sending the owner a letter in January and receiving no response.

“Better Business Bureau is advising consumers to use caution when considering doing business with C.A. Jones Inc.,” the website states. “BBB has received a pattern of consumer complaints alleging inferior workmanship, failure to complete jobs, failure to return for repairs, failure to contact consumers and poor customer service.”

The company’s registered agent in Illinois is SLG Registered Agents, operated by Doug Stewart, a Fairview Heights attorney and owner of Stewart Law Group. He also serves on the Home Builders association board.

Stewart formerly represented C.A. Jones as an attorney, but he withdrew about a year ago, court records show.

Today, when process servers deliver summonses and other court documents for C.A. Jones, SLG forwards them to the owner via email, Stewart said. He declined comment on the company’s status, citing client confidentiality and lack of information.

“When I ended the legal representation, I really stopped having any engagement with them,” he said.

Banks foreclose on mortgages

Court records in Madison and St. Clair counties include bank foreclosures against C.A. Jones and/or Needles involving at least three homes.

The biggest of these lawsuits was filed last month in Madison County Circuit Court by Dieterich Bank, which acquired Community Bank of Trenton through a merger in July.

The lawsuit seeks foreclosure on a 2023 mortgage for a two-story historic home at 217 E. Market St. in Troy that appears to have undergone renovation, as well as payment on five other overdue loans from 2024 and 2025.

“(The bank requests) a judgment in its favor against Defendant Michael S. Needles, in the amount of $1,186,020.74 plus interest at $229.167 per day from April 20, 2026, until the date of judgment,” the lawsuit states.

Dieterich Bank also filed a lawsuit against C.A. Jones last month in St. Clair County. It seeks foreclosure on a 2024 mortgage with $441,741 overdue for a newly constructed home at 209 Ashurst Lane in O’Fallon, and a 2024 mortgage with $292,001 overdue for a partly constructed home at 1514 Orchard Lakes Circle in Belleville.

Lawsuits against C.A. Jones in other counties include one filed in March in Sangamon County Circuit Court by Farmers & Merchants National Bank of Nashville. It seeks foreclosure on a 2024 construction mortgage with $447,166 overdue for a home in Chatham, near Springfield.

“All the banks (with outstanding loans to C.A. Jones) are in the same boat,” Farmers President Dan May told the BND. “We had a borrower that defaulted, and now we’re foreclosing.”

Defendants include Jai and Phalita Sharma, who had signed a contract with C.A. Jones, put down a deposit and bought a lot for the $550,000 home in Chatham. They were moving from Knoxville, Tennessee, to be closer to their daughter and granddaughter.

Jai Sharma said the company abandoned the project during construction in September 2025, causing basement flooding and other problems that the couple had to pay to fix, as well as physical and mental stress and embarrassment in front of neighbors.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being great and 10 being incredibly, ridiculously, recklessly horrible, (the C.A. Jones experience) would be a 10,” said Jai Sharma, 62, a retired attorney.

The Sharmas, who now live in the home, are countersuing C.A. Jones, Farmers bank and The Title Center LLC of Springfield, which was responsible for inspections, disbursements and other oversight, according to the lawsuit. They’re seeking $423,026 in damages related to breach of contract, consumer fraud and negligent underwriting.

The Sharmas argue that the bank and title company failed to protect them or the property amid C.A. Jones misconduct.

“This guy (Needles) and the bank and the title company need to be investigated by someone,” Jai Sharma said. “They were on the same team, and I was left out of the loop.”

May declined to comment on pending litigation, except to say that the bank followed standard procedure in granting the construction loan, and its dispute is with C.A. Jones not the Sharmas.

The countersuit states that the Chatham home is one of about 30 homes recently abandoned by C.A. Jones during construction. Sharma said that estimate was based on discussions with other contractors, including some hired to complete the unfinished work.

Expansion into other areas

One lawsuit against Needles not filed by a lender, supplier or customer involved Crafton Plumbing Inc., later renamed Crafton Plumbing and Home Services, LLC, in Collinsville.

In 2023, Anthony Crafton sold the then 27-year-old business for $120,000 to Needles, who agreed to pay $5,000 a month but stopped making payments while still owing $90,000, according to the June 2025 lawsuit that Crafton filed in Madison County.

“Despite repeated demands, the Buyer has refused to pay the balance remaining on the contract,” it stated.

Anthony Crafton alleged breach of contract and asked for the $90,000 plus return of his business phone number, customer base and equipment valued at $29,490. Needles failed to answer the complaint, prompting a judge to issue a default judgment for $121,451 in November, court records show.

Anthony Crafton didn’t respond to a request for comment through his attorney, Randy Steele of Glen Carbon.

In a related case, Ferguson Enterprises, LLC filed a lawsuit in June 2025 in Madison County, alleging that Crafton Plumbing and Home Services and Needles failed to pay for $12,618 in plumbing supplies. Former employee Robb Treat had listed Liese Lumber, R.P. Lumber Co., Bank of Springfield and Construction Supply as references on a credit application.

A process server reported that Crafton was “out of business with locked doors and uncollected mail” at its office.

The case later was dismissed when Needles agreed to pay $14,969 in $1,000 monthly payments, but he stopped after two months, court documents show. In January, a judge reinstated the case, ruled in Ferguson’s favor and ordered him to pay the remaining balance.

Treat had worked for Chris Jones, helping C.A. Jones customers get new home financing, before switching over to Crafton Plumbing under Needles. Treat said he got laid off about two years ago.

“Chris ran an outstanding company,” Treat said. “His customer service and the way he did business was top drawer. And Mike was basically running it the same way. He was really a great guy. He wasn’t someone who just screwed people. That wasn’t his game at all.

“But Mike tried to expand really quickly after he bought (C.A. Jones). He had an electrical division. He had a solar division. He bought Crafton Plumbing. I think he had his fingers in too many things, and it just fell apart.”

The city of Belleville also was affected by the disappearance of C.A. Jones. Earlier this year, aldermen voted to rescind a 2024 development agreement with the company, which had failed to build a home on a vacant lot on Cart Lane that the city had sold for $1. But no lawsuit was filed.

“They’ve done nothing with the lot, so we are going to proceed with taking it back,” Mayor Jenny Gain Meyer said at the time.

The lot was one of six vacant lots that the city turned over to C.A. Jones as part of its “infill” program. The company built homes on four, gave back one after determining it was unsuitable for development and decided not to acquire 31 other lots of interest.

Customers decry advertising

In recent years, about a dozen customers have filed lawsuits in St. Clair and Madison counties against C.A. Jones, which also has operated as Phoenix Home Remodeling, Green Leaf Renewables and Martinez Carpentry Services, according to the state’s business entity database.

David and Jillian Wood filed a lawsuit in January 2024 in St. Clair County against Phoenix, Needles, Chris Jones and officer Jennifer Hays. They allege breach of contract, consumer fraud and unjust enrichment and seek more than $50,000 in damages for each of five counts.

The Woodses maintain that the company did poor-quality repair and remodeling work on their Swansea home in 2023, despite advertising its decades of construction experience, partnership with trusted local companies, high standards and skilled craftsmanship.

“Defendants Jones and Needles have promoted and controlled a culture ... of excusing mistakes and attempting to gaslight customers into accepting mistakes while unethically representing (the company) as a leader in the home repair and remodeling industry,” the lawsuit states.

That case is ongoing with a trial date in October.

Related to the Woods case is a lawsuit filed in December 2025 in St. Clair County by Country Mutual Insurance Co., which had sold business and liability insurance to C.A. Jones.

The insurance company is asking a judge to declare that it has no obligation to defend or indemnify C.A. Jones, Needles, Chris Jones, Hays or officer Stephanie Akin in connection with the Woods lawsuit or four other lawsuits filed by metro-east customers.

Country Mutual gives several reasons, including the allegation that C.A. Jones violated policy by failing to notify the insurance company until July 2025 about customer lawsuits filed in 2022 and 2024.

C.A. Jones didn’t respond to the complaint, court records show. Country Mutual asked last month for a default judgment in its favor. The judge hasn’t yet ruled on that motion.

Other metro-east court cases

Here are other lawsuits filed against C.A. Jones and its officers or former officers in St. Clair and Madison counties:

• John Smith and Mistie Tennant filed a lawsuit in October 2022 against C.A. Jones in St. Clair County and later added Chris Jones as a defendant. It alleged breach of implied warranty due to poor quality work on their new home in Shiloh. They sought more than $50,000 in damages for each of four counts. Earlier this month, a judge found defendants in default after a year without legal representation and a missed hearing in March. Damages are to be determined.
• Benjamin and Laura Cole filed a lawsuit in September 2023 in Madison County, alleging that C.A. Jones failed to install solar panels on their roof in Collinsville as promised. They sought more than $50,000 in damages for each of two counts related to breach of contract and consumer fraud. After installation, the company demanded payment in 2024. A judge ruled in March the Coles were still owed $14,064.
• Chaniver Tolliver filed a lawsuit against C.A. Jones and Akin in February 2024, alleging poor quality work on his new home in Shiloh. He asked for damages of more than $275,000 related to breach of contract and consumer fraud. The company failed to appear for a September 2025 hearing, prompting the judge to issue a default judgment for $193,384.
• Chris Naumann filed a lawsuit in March 2024 in St. Clair County against C.A. Jones and a flooring company, alleging that defective flooring was installed in his new home in Belleville. He sought more than $50,000 in damages for each of three counts related to breach of contract and consumer fraud. The judge found defendants in default in September 2025 with damages to be determined.
• Ellen Amos filed a small claims complaint in September 2024 in Madison County against C.A. Jones, alleging that she was owed a $6,190 reimbursement for property taxes she paid while closing on her new home in Highland. The company denied the claim but failed to appear for a hearing, prompting the judge to issue a default judgment for $6,454 in November 2024.
• Chris and Amanda Trusnik filed a lawsuit in May 2025 in St. Clair County, alleging that C.A. Jones failed to complete repairs under a buyer’s warranty on their new home in Shiloh. They sought more than $50,000 in damages for each of five counts related to breach of contract and consumer fraud. The company denied the claims but failed to appear at two court hearings. The case is ongoing.
• R&T Alliance began eviction proceedings against C.A. Jones in June 2025 in Madison County, demanding that the company vacate a warehouse it had been leasing on Horseshoe Lake Road in Granite City due to failure to pay rent. C.A. Jones failed to appear at a hearing. The judge granted the eviction and ordered the company to pay $18,992.
• Chad Miles, a former C.A. Jones employee, filed a lawsuit in October 2025 in St. Clair County, alleging he was fired in 2024 in retaliation for pursuing a workers’ compensation claim due to injury. The company failed to appear at a hearing, prompting the judge to issue a default judgment for $267,652 in April.
• The city of O’Fallon issued Needles a citation in November 2025 for performing sewer-related work without a permit. He failed to appear at a hearing in April and was fined $750 in absence.
• Donald White filed a small claims complaint in December 2025 in Madison County, seeking $5,442 from C.A. Jones. He alleges that the company failed to honor a verbal agreement to make needed repairs on a new home he bought in Edwardsville in 2024. The case is ongoing.
• Benjamin Misselhorn, owner of a tire store in Belleville, filed a small claims complaint in March in St. Clair County, seeking $4,822 from C.A. Jones and Needles. He alleges the company failed to pay a tire bill that had been delinquent since June 2024. The case is ongoing.
• City Rent-A-Truck in Kansas City, Missouri, filed documents in March in Madison County, showing that C.A. Jones and Needles entered into a stipulated agreement in July 2025 in Circuit Court of Boone County and agreed to pay a $26,331 overdue balance for equipment rental but made only one $2,000 payment and stopped.
• Breckenridge of Illinois in Caseyville filed a lawsuit in March in St. Clair County, alleging that C.A. Jones bought concrete on credit in July and August 2025 and failed to pay its $4,380 bill. The supplier is seeking that amount plus interest and fees. The case is ongoing.
• Marcus Lang, of East St. Louis, filed a small claims complaint in March in St. Clair County, seeking $10,000 from C.A. Jones. He alleges that the company breached a contract by failing to build a home for him as promised. The case is ongoing.
• Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America filed a lawsuit last month in St. Clair County, alleging that C.A. Jones breached a contract by not paying premiums for workers’ compensation insurance in 2024 and owed the company $17,245. The case is ongoing.

BND journalist Joshua Carter contributed to this report.

Teri Maddox

Belleville News-Democrat

618-239-2473

A reporter for 40 years, Teri Maddox joined the Belleville News-Democrat in 1990. She also teaches journalism at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. She holds degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and University of Wisconsin-Madison.