Closure of Plumbing Company Ordered

A Highland Park plumbing company, accused in a civil suit of pressuring mainly low-income and elderly customers to pay exorbitant bills for substandard work, has been ordered closed.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John L. Cole’s ruling Tuesday will remain in effect until the Contractors State License Board’s suit against Martin Plumbing & Heating Inc., 5660 York Blvd., is brought to trial, probably in three to four years.

Cole’s ruling also barred Martin’s president, Michael Terrance Carr, from working as a licensed contractor pending trial. Carr has denied any wrongdoing.

Cole’s order also prohibits Mark C. Ryder, a Martin salesman and a defendant in the suit, from working for any other plumbing contractor without first notifying the board.