ALJDEC - Licensing
2025A-08044-CHC-ROC · Registrar of Contractors · 2026-01-20
IN THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS
Jeffrey Victor Dozoretz,
COMPLAINANT,
v.
Settlers West Home Builder LLC
License No. ROC 289857,
RESPONDENT.
No. 2025A-08044-CHC-ROC
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE DECISION
HEARING: December 29, 2025.
APPEARANCES:
For Complainant: Jeffrey Dozoretz.
For Respondent: Andrew Carranza.
For the Registrar of Contractors: Arlo Houston.
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE: Samuel Fox
EXHIBITS ADMITTED INTO EVIDENCE: Administrative notice was taken of the Notice of Hearing Packet submitted by the Registrar of Contractors.
_____________________________________________________________________
FINDINGS OF FACT
Settlers West Home Builder LLC (Respondent) was the holder of License No. 289857 issued by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (Registrar) on February 12, 2014.
On or about October 17, 2023, Jeffrey Dozoretz (Complainant) entered into a contract with Respondent for construction of a new home.
On or about August 8, 2025, Complainant filed a Licensed Complaint Form with the Registrar, claiming abandonment.
On October 7, 2025, the Registrar issued a Citation against Respondent, finding cause to charge Respondent with violation of A.R.S. § 32-1154(A)(1).
Respondent submitted an Answer to the Citation on October 22, 2025, informing the Registrar that Respondent had declared bankruptcy; the Answer did not otherwise contest the alleged violation.
The Registrar referred the matter to the Office of Administrative Hearings, an independent state agency, for an evidentiary hearing.
On November 19, 2025, the Registrar issued a Notice of Hearing on Contested Case.
Investigator Houston testified in support of the violation.
Complainant testified in support of the violation.
Respondent’s witness did not testify or provide documentary evidence, but he informed the Tribunal that Respondent was bankrupt.
Administrative notice was taken of Respondent’s prior License record on January 19, 2026. According to that record, Respondent’s License No. 289857 was revoked on September 16, 2025.
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
This matter lies within the Registrar’s jurisdiction.
Respondent’s revoked license does not deprive Complainant of the right to prosecute the complaint or prevent the Registrar from determining the merits of the complaint.
Complainant bears the burden of proof to establish Respondent’s statutory violations by a preponderance of the evidence. Respondent bears the burden of proof to establish an affirmative defense by a preponderance of the evidence.
“A preponderance of the evidence is such proof as convinces the trier of fact that the contention is more probably true than not.”
Respondent did not contest the issues. Respondent simply stated that it had declared bankruptcy and would be unable to provide remediation.
Respondent did not provide any orders from the Bankruptcy Court, briefing, or case law to support the position that its bankruptcy was a legal excuse for abandonment. While it may be possible that declaring bankruptcy as a cause of abandonment is a legal excuse defense, it is not supported in this matter.
The preponderance of the evidence established that Respondent abandoned the project or refused to perform work without a legal excuse in violation of A.R.S. § 32-1154(A)(1).
RECOMMENDED ORDER
Based on the foregoing, it is recommended that on the effective date of the Order, the Registrar shall revoke Respondent’s License No. 289857.
Pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1092.08(I), the licensee may accept the Administrative Law Judge Decision by advising the Office of Administrative Hearings in writing not more than ten (10) days after receiving the decision. If the licensee accepts the Administrative Law Judge Decision, the decision shall be certified as the final decision by the Office of Administrative Hearings.
In the event of certification of the Administrative Law Judge Decision by the Director of the Office of Administrative Hearings, the effective date of the Order will be forty (40) days from the date of that certification.
Done this day, January 20, 2026.
/s/ Samuel Fox
Administrative Law Judge
Transmitted by either mail, e-mail, or facsimile to:
Tom Cole, Director
Registrar of Contractors
Arlo Houston
ROC Investigator
[email redacted]
Jeffrey Victor Dozoretz
[email redacted]
Settlers West Home Builder LLC
[email redacted]
[email redacted]
By: OAH Staff