Wichman Monuments: 180 cases resolved, 80 remain
A company trying to settle claims related to a Chattanooga monument company that suddenly shut down in February has resolved about two-thirds of the cases, an attorney said Thursday.
Of the 260 cases involving customers of Wichman Monuments, 180 are closed, said attorney Terrance L.
Jones of the Presley Law Firm in Chattanooga.
Either monuments were delivered or plans are to turn orders over to manufacturers, or money was refunded or no payment was ever made by customers, he said.
Over the next couple of weeks, plans are for some 30 to 40 to be closed, Jones said.
“We’ve not quit by any stretch,” he said. “A significant portion of my time every week and my client’s is spent on moving these things forward with a resolution we can be happy with.”
A&R Holdings Inc. in March agreed to accept responsibility for the cases, and it has purchased the Wichman Monuments property on Brainerd Road for $400,000, Jones said. A&R Holdings took on the customer accounts in exchange for the property, he said.
Jones said the principal behind A&R Holdings asked to remain anonymous.
“He has been in Chattanooga a long time and has other business interests,” he said.
Jim Winsett, who heads the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, said the bureau is getting some responses from people who had initially filed a complaint about Wichman Monuments not following through on their orders.
“We are a little behind where we hoped to be.”
– ATTORNEY TERRANCE JONES ABOUT RESOLVING CLAIMS AGAINST WICHMAN MONUMENTS
He said some people are saying their problem is resolved, while others are indicating it’s still outstanding. Winsett added that he’d like to know who is behind A&H Holdings.
Meanwhile, the Chattanooga Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances around Wichman Monuments, said spokesman Rob Simmons. Earlier this year, the department said it had opened a fraud investigation after receiving complaints.
Jones said he understands that some people are upset that resolutions aren’t taking place as fast as they want.
“We are a little behind where we hoped to be,” he said.
Jones said it was determined that some claims were fraudulent.
“We don’t want to turn away anyone who has a legitimate claim,” he said.
Jones said it’s hard to say at this point when all the cases will be wrapped up.
“My client is not a monument manufacturer,” he said. “He’s relying on other companies.”
In February, the BBB began to receive complaints about Wichman Monuments, a 72-year-old Chattanooga grave marker business at 5225 Brainerd Road owned by Trent Wichman. The business had suddenly closed and left scores of customers without their orders.
Later, the company announced that the business had shut down permanently.
Jones said that the monument company had been under financial pressures and a key employee was lost due to illness.
“Those things together brought the business down,” he said.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6318.