The owner of a company specializing in home renovations will not be granted a contractor's license, based on a recent decision by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to affirm its denial in June of the man's application.
Stuart D. Luhm was denied the license because he was convicted in 2005 and 2007 of charges related to selling drugs and vehicle-tampering, according to documents made public by the Office of Administrative Hearings. In an appeal before a judge, Luhm said he had completed a Challenge Incarceration Program and wished to move in a more productive direction. The department testified that contractors have free access to the houses of clients and occupy privileged positions of trust. The judge agreed last month with the department that "Luhm's earlier misconduct relates to his fitness for a residential building contractor license" and recommended that the department affirm its original decision to deny the license. Luhm has until April 25 to appeal.
