Downey : Mall Construction Workers Protest Over Unpaid Bills

About 40 construction workers and family members picketed the Stonewood Shopping Center in Downey last Saturday, contending that the owner of the mall has not paid its construction bills.

The protesters work for E.F. Brady Co. of Anaheim, which installed drywall and stucco during the recent renovation of the Firestone Boulevard mall. E.F. Brady spokesman Terry Adams contends that his firm is owed about $800,000 for its work.

In all, mall owner Hughes/Lyon Downey owes about $4 million in construction costs, affecting at least six other firms that worked on the renovation, Adams said. Various lawsuits have been filed in Superior Court seeking payment for work on the renovation, which was completed earlier this year.

Attorney Robert C. Braun, who is representing Hughes/Lyon Downey, said his client only recently received some bills, which will be reviewed and paid. Other bills are being disputed because the renovation was not completed on schedule, Braun said.