In Schott v. Lucatelli , decided by the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department on June 12, 2025, the court addressed a dispute between two members of an extended family over the construction of a home. In 2017, the defendant asked the plaintiff to build a home, but the parties never entered into a written contract. Construction began in 2018, and while plaintiff was paid for work performed that year, a dispute arose in early 2020 over escalating costs. When plaintiff returned from a winter trip to Florida in April 2020, he discovered that defendant had changed the locks on the unfinished home and hired someone else to complete the project.

Plaintiff sued to recover compensation for work performed between May 2019 and January 2020. Defendant responded with c

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