Former Myrtle Beach pool company owner owes more than $1.5M to jilted customers
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — The owner of a mothballed Myrtle Beach-based pool company now owes nearly $1.5 million in damages to jilted customers, even as lawsuits against him continue to mount.
Horry County Common Pleas Judge William H. Seals Jr. on Monday issued a $929,725 judgment against Christopher Harrington and Cascade Custom Pools for a botched job in November 2023, — while on Wednesday, a separate breach of contract claim was filed. News13 has been investigating Harrington and his business since January after receiving complaints from dozens of customers.
In May, Cascade was ordered to pay $327,000 in damages to SCP Distributors by U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Bryan Harwell.
Cascade has eight pending lawsuits in Horry County and one in Charleston County, court records show. In the latter, a company called Aspire is demanding $186,300 in damages plus other costs.
The nearly $930,000 judgment stems from a complaint by Hope Larson, who said chronic negligence and subpar work rendered her home unsellable.
Shoddy work ruined Little River home
Larson signed a $67,200 contract with Cascade in March 2023 for a 12-foot-by-22-foot custom pool at her Little River home, according to the lawsuit she filed last November. Larson agreed to pay 25% of the total upfront and the rest in installments.
Cascade-2 Download
The problems began almost immediately, her complaint says.
"During the course of digging the hole for the pool, employees of the Defendant dug too closely to the residence ... which caused a collapsing of the soil underneath. In an effort to mask this negligence, employees of the Defendant covered up the erosion with a piece of plywood," Larson's lawsuit claims.
Harrington told Larson in June 2023 that the project would be finished in 12 weeks, but the over-digging continued, the lawsuit said. By August, Harrington ended all communications with Larson but agreed to an inspection performed by a foundation specialist.
Larson sued on multiple grounds including violations of the state's Unfair Trade Practices Act, breach of warranty, breach of contract and negligence.
"As a direct and proximate result of Defendant's breach of the warranty ... the property, in its present constitution, is worth substantially less," the lawsuit claims. "The property has lost the possibility of appreciation value that it normally would have gained."
Cascade ignored customer for months, then demanded payment
In July 2023, Leslie Tuttle of Florence agreed to pay $119,000 for a concrete pool and spa at her Florence home, putting down an initial $29,981 deposit, according to a lawsuit she filed on Wednesday in Horry County Common Pleas Court.
Excavation began on Aug. 22, 2023, but construction issues and other modifications changed the scope of the project and added nearly $35,000 to the price tag, according to Tuttle's complaint.
After Cascade received nearly 70% of payments for the job, the lawsuit said Harrington met with Tuttle several times through Oct. 17, 2023, when he ceased communications for nearly a month.
Cascade-1 Download
By December of 2023, Tuttle learned of other Cascade customers "who were having similar issues and some had mechanic's liens placed against their property for nonpayment of materials by subcontractors or material providers of Cascade," her lawsuit states.
Tuttle is suing for breach of contract, negligence, violations of the state's Unfair Trade Practices Act and unjust enrichment, among other claims.
Harrington has refused to speak with News13 and has been silent through multiple court filings, but on Sept. 15 he pushed back against a local construction company that is suing him for $24,000.
In a letter to the attorney for Bros Prestige Construction, Harrington admitted that he's no longer in business while blaming the Myrtle Beach-based firm for overbilling Cascade on work that was faulty.
"We simply can't pay for sub par and incomplete work," Harrington wrote before acknowledging that he has "exhausted all of my resources to successfully fix my business."
Harrington said Cascade shut down in April.
Several weeks after News13 launched its probe investigation into Cascade, the state suspended its business license.
"We no longer operate in this state or provide work," Harrington said in a letter included in the September court filing. "I do not own anything. All leased vehicles and equipment were returned to the dealerships, leased buildings returned to the landlord ... I rent my home and do not own a vehicle presently."
* * *
Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at . See more of his work here .
* * *
Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here .
