A Portland construction company hasn’t been paid $323,000 for work it did at the Togus Veterans Medical Center, according to a new lawsuit.
Titan Mechanical has yet to be paid by Frankenmuth Insurance Company, which issued the project’s payment bond, according to the lawsuit filed by the United States on Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor.
Titan Mechanical was a subcontractor hired to help build the substance use disorder center at the VA center in Augusta, starting in 2024. The facility opened this spring. The new facility offers residential rehabilitation for substance use disorder. Veterans used to have to travel out of state for treatment.
A bond guarantees payment because contractors can’t place liens on federal property the way they could on a private job. The federal government pays the bond to the company that issues it, and the company disburses that money to the contractors.
Federal law requires lead contractors to have the bond, which ensures subcontractors and suppliers are paid. Because the claim is brought under that law, the Miller Act, the United States is suing on behalf of Titan.
The lawsuit asks for the full amount Titan is owed, as well as attorney fees.
Frankenmuth did not respond to a request for comment.