ALJDEC - Licensing

2026A-01270-CHC-ROC · Registrar of Contractors · 2026-06-02

IN THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS

Joseph Chrisman,

COMPLAINANT

v.

Rio Colorado Trim & Cabinets, L.L.C.,

License No. ROC 347860,

RESPONDENT

No. 2026A-01270-CHC-ROC

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE DECISION

HEARING: May 13, 2026

APPEARANCES: Investigator Jeremy Rosenthal on behalf of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (Registrar). Complainant Joseph Chrisman on behalf of himself. Alan Ruiz Gurrero, Qualifying Party, on behalf of Respondent.

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE: Fahd Nazir

EXHIBITS ADMITTED INTO EVIDENCE: Administrative notice was taken of the hearing packet submitted by the Registrar. Complainant Exhibits 1 through 9.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Rio Colorado Trim & Cabinets LLC (Respondent) is the holder of License No. 347860 issued by the Registrar.

On or about January 29, 2025, Joseph Chrisman (Complainant) entered into a contract with Respondent for kitchen cabinet installation and paid $5,000.00 as a deposit. The project delivery date was extended until further notice from Complainant pending design finalization. The parties remained in communication thereafter.

On November 25, 2025, Complainant messaged Alan Ruiz Gurrero inquiring about the status of his license. Mr. Gurrero replied “great lets finish this job. yeah i did, its all been taken care.” In view of this information, Complainant did not feel comfortable letting Respondent finish the work and hired another contractor to install the cabinets. Complainant later asked that Respondent refund the deposit.

On or about February 2, 2026, the Registrar received a Complaint against Respondent from Complainant alleging abandonment with respect to the project.

The Registrar assigned the Complaint to Investigator Jeremy Rosenthal.

Following a jobsite inspection on March 3, 2026, at which Mr. Gurrero was not present, Investigator Rosenthal concluded in his Jobsite Inspection Notes that Respondent abandoned the work. As a result of Respondent’s license being revoked at the time for workmanship reasons in an unrelated case as of March 20, 2025, Investigator Rosenthal did not issue a Written Directive and forwarded the Complaint to the Registrar’s Legal Department.

The Registrar issued a Citation against Respondent on March 4, 2026, charging a possible violation of Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 32-1154(A)(1).

The Registrar referred the matter to the Office of Administrative Hearings, an independent state agency, for an evidentiary hearing.

The Registrar issued a Notice of Hearing, setting a hearing at 1:00 PM on May 13, 2026. The Registrar mailed copies of the Notice of Hearing to Respondent at its address and email address of record. An April 1, 2026, order from the Office of Administrative Hearings advised the parties of how to connect to the hearing via Google Meet. The hearing was held via Google Meet on May 13, 2026.

At the hearing, Investigator Rosenthal testified as to Respondent abandoning work under the contract. Investigator Rosenthal also testified that he observed the cabinets installed in the kitchen were installed by a different contractor paid for by the Complainant.

Complainant testified that $5,000.00 was paid as deposit to have cabinets installed. In addition, he testified that the project was delayed pending design finalization, but once plans were finalized, there was no communication from Respondent, which prompted Complainant to look up his license on the Registrar’s website. Complainant then messaged Mr. Gurrero asking him about the status of Respondent’s license. Complainant testified that Mr. Gurrero never informed him about the March 20, 2025, license revocation. Complainant contended that because Respondent’s license was revoked, he did not feel comfortable having Respondent finish the work.

Mr. Gurrero testified that he was “really interested in completing this project.” Mr. Gurrero also testified that the project was delayed upon Complainant’s request and that he was still willing to perform the work. Mr. Gurrero concluded that Complainant terminated the contract when he hired another contractor to carry out the work.

Administrative notice is taken of Respondent’s prior License record on May 13, 2026. Such prior License record reflects that Respondent’s License No. 347860 was first issued on September 26, 2023, and was revoked on March 20, 2025. Such prior License record also reflects that there was one open complaint and one prior complaint resulting in discipline against Respondent’s license.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

This matter lies within the Registrar’s jurisdiction.

Complainant bears the burden of proof to establish Respondent’s statutory violations 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’s revoked license does not deprive Complainant of his right to prosecute his complaint or prevent the Registrar from determining the merits of the complaint.

The evidence established that Respondent submitted a bid for Complainant’s project and did not perform the work in the bid. Although Respondent argued it was willing to perform the work, as of right, Complainant was no longer obligated to let Respondent carry out the work. Significantly, had Respondent performed the work when its license was revoked, it would have been subject to discipline pursuant to Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 32-1154(A)(17).. As a result, Complainant established that Respondent abandoned the contract in violation of Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 32-1154(A)(1).

RECOMMENDED ORDER

Based on the foregoing, it is recommended that on the effective date of the Order, the Registrar shall suspend Respondent’s License No. 347860 for a period of five days.

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, June 2, 2026.

/s/ Fahd Nazir

Administrative Law Judge

Transmitted by either mail, e-mail, or facsimile to:

Tom Cole, Director

Registrar of Contractors

[email redacted]

Joseph Chrisman

[email redacted]

Rio Colorado Trim & Cabinets, L.L.C.

[email redacted]

Jeremy Rosenthal

[email redacted]

By: OAH Staff