A key figure in an ongoing NBC Bay Area investigation has filed for millions of dollars in bankruptcy protection.
Austin Paulhus, who co-founded Anchored Tiny Home with his brother, Colton, and dad, Scott, listed liabilities of more than $12.8 million, but only $10,000 in cash.
Many of his controversial ADU construction company’s Bay Area customers say they prepaid but have little to show for their money. Those people say millions of dollars are missing.
The bankruptcy filing is 140 pages long, in part, because it includes more than 80 pages of customers who might be owed money. We counted more than 700 customers in the list that Paulhus provided the court.
The petition also lists various unpaid private loans. One such loan is for more than $1 million.
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Taxpayers might be on the hook for millions, too. The petition makes three references to federal Small Business Administration loans. Those references total $6.5 million.
If, on top of the loans, customers paid for work that hasn’t been done, where did all the money go? We contacted Paulhus’s bankruptcy attorney. The Wolff & Wolff firm responded and said, “No one from our firm is able to comment about Mr. Austin Paulhus.”
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Anchored Tiny Homes customers remain frustrated.
“One of the things that I feel – and most of us feel – is there is no accountability. Nobody’s doing anything to these guys,” said customer Girija Subramanya in Cupertino.
The Contractors State License Board has accused Anchored Tiny Homes of, among other things, taking too much money in advance and abandoning people’s projects. The CSLB suspended the company's license and is aiming to revoke it. The attorney general has that case, records show.
We checked the bankruptcy court for Austin Paulhus’ dad, Scott, and co-founder brother, Colton. We found no filings for them or the company itself.
Dozens of customers have shared their stories with us. You can too. Fill out our consumer complaint form online.
