ST. LOUIS COUNTY — McBride Homes said Wednesday it has paid more than $10 million owed to a Chesterfield contractor that had begun filing legal action against homeowners.
The homebuilder said it paid the liens to Builder’s Bloc in order to “remove homeowners” from the two companies’ dispute over allegations of fraud, retaliation and unpaid debt. Builder’s Bloc alleged McBride owed it millions of dollars in unpaid work while McBride claimed in a separate lawsuit that the contractor owed it $13 million due to years of delays.
Builder’s Bloc had recently begun filing liens against homeowners to recoup what it alleged was owed.
McBride said Wednesday that the payment is not a settlement, and that it is still moving forwarding with its separate case against Builder’s Bloc.
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“It is deeply unfortunate that a former contractor has chosen to harass families who have nothing to do with this dispute,” McBride CEO Jake Eilermann said in a statement. “As always, we are putting our customers and neighbors first. We are confident in our legal position and look forward to a successful resolution, including recovering millions in damages and attorney’s fees from Builder’s Bloc.”
Attorneys for Builder’s Bloc confirmed they had received multiple checks from the Chesterfield homebuilder and said they were still reviewing them.
"McBride wrongly refused to pay Builder’s Bloc over $10 million on homes across a six county area in ӣƵ — and chose to put over 400 homeowners at risk,” attorney Stephen Miller said in a statement Friday. “Builder’s Bloc urged McBride to keep the homeowners out of the dispute between the parties and provided a variety of options to accomplish this. But McBride refused until they lost in court.”
The decision from McBride follows a court ruling from last week in which a ӣƵ County Circuit judge declined McBride’s request to issue a temporary restraining order that would have prevented Builder’s Bloc from filing liens against residents who bought McBride homes.
That ruling foreshadowed a protracted legal battle between the two companies — which have built dozens of subdivisions together and were once part of the same corporation — that could have left McBride homeowners on the hook for the liens.
But McBride has said homeowners were never at risk. The company said the Post-Dispatch’s reporting “incorrectly implied” homeowners’ liability.
Builder’s Bloc began filing liens after it sued McBride this spring, alleging the homebuilder fraudulently filed dozens of false real estate sale notices over the past year in St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties. Builder’s Bloc claims the filings were part of an effort by McBride to bilk the contractor of over $10 million for unpaid work after the two companies’ relationship deteriorated.
Builder’s Bloc alleges McBride filed the sale notices with closing sale dates that the builder either didn’t share with the contractor or were different than the dates McBride provided to Builder’s Bloc.
Notices of sale impact the amount of time Builder’s Bloc would legally have to file liens to seek payment. The record also is meant to protect homebuyers from potential claims, enabling title insurance companies to confirm whether every contractor was paid before the closing date.
McBride has said it followed the law. That lawsuit is still pending.
The homebuilder has alleged that the liens were retaliation by Builder’s Bloc after McBride fired the contractor early this year.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of June 8, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
