Construction worker claims he is owed $11,000 for apartment work

GALVESTON - Houston resident Juan Rocha is attempting to recover $11,000 from Velocity Commercial Capital and Jamail Alkalil, recent court documents say.

A lawsuit filed Oct. 24 in Galveston County District Court asserts Rocha is owed $11,275 for work he performed at the Memorial Oaks Apartments in Texas City in August 2010.

The suit says "the defendants were obligated to pay the plaintiff as wages for labor or services rendered in labor and materials provided for construction" at the subject property.

"(The) defendants made material false representations to the plaintiff with the knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard of the truth with the intention that such representations be acted upon by the plaintiff, and that the plaintiff relied on these representations to its detriment," the original petition states.

Rocha further points out that the respondents "made numerous representations to the plaintiff including the fact that the work was of good workmanship and that a payment would be issued promptly."

"That false representation and failure to disclose was made for the purpose of inducing the plaintiff to enter into a contract," the suit says.

"The plaintiff relied on the false representation and failure to disclose by entering into the contract and the reliance caused the plaintiff injury."

Attorney Javier Marcos Jr. of Houston is representing the complainant, and Galveston County 122nd District Court Judge John Ellisor is presiding over the case.

Case No. 11-cv-1670