Premier Pools and Spas has been the subject of lawsuits in multiple states, most alleging that homeowners paid tens of thousands of dollars in deposits for pools that were left unfinished, dangerously defective, or never started. The most serious outcome so far is a Nebraska criminal conviction of a local franchise operator; other cases are pending in Indiana, Nevada, and Montana, and the national franchisor has generally argued it is not a party to the contracts homeowners signed with local operators.
The Nebraska Case and Criminal Sentencing
On November 7, 2023, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers sued Stanger Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Premier Pools and Spas, and its owner Aaron M. Stanger in Lancaster County District Court.1Nebraska Attorney General. AG Hilgers Files Lawsuit Against Pool Company Stranding Homeowners in Unfinished Pool Pits The complaint described a payment structure that took 45% of the total project cost upfront and another 50% after excavation began, so that the company collected as much as 95% of contracts running from $80,000 to $140,000 before most of the work was done.2Nebraska Examiner. Pool Company Leaves Homeowners With Dangerous, Ugly, Unfinished Pits, Nebraska Attorney General Lawsuit Contends After collecting those payments, the state alleged, work stopped and refunds were ignored, with money funneled elsewhere.3Protect the Good Life – Nebraska Attorney General. AG Hilgers Files Lawsuit Against Pool Company Stranding Homeowners in Unfinished Pool Pits
The Attorney General also accused the company of using photos of pools built by other companies on its website, claiming falsely to have built “thousands of high-quality pools since 2009,” and inserting gag clauses in contracts that prohibited customers from posting negative reviews or filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau or the AG’s office. In at least one case, work reportedly stopped because a customer had filed such a complaint.4Nebraska Attorney General. Nebraska v. Stanger Enterprises (Complaint) The suit cited Nebraska’s Consumer Protection Act, the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and the federal Consumer Review Fairness Act, and sought restitution, civil penalties, license revocation, and a permanent injunction.
Eight customers also filed their own suits. Mary Ellis said she paid $75,000 for a pool that sat unfinished for 17 months. Kyle Mahoney said he paid $90,000 on a project stalled for two years and estimated another $38,000 to fix or finish it. Alan and Lisa Schrier said they paid roughly $50,000 two years earlier for work that never started.5WOWT. Customers Share Experiences With Pool Builder Sued by Nebraska AG Premier Pools and Spas denied any breach of contract or duty to refund in its court filings.
The matter did not end in civil court. On April 16, 2025, Aaron Stanger was sentenced to four to eight years in prison on three counts of theft by deception over $5,000, after the AG’s Consumer Protection Division referred the case to the Douglas County Attorney’s Office for prosecution.6EIN Presswire. Aaron Stanger Was Sentenced to 4-8 Years for Three Counts of Theft by Deception Over $5,000
Indianapolis Homeowner Lawsuits
In the Indianapolis area, at least nine lawsuits were filed against Jordan VanWye, owner of Turnkey Design and Build LLC, which operated as a Premier Pools and Spas franchisee. Homeowners alleged VanWye collected large deposits and then left projects incomplete, improperly permitted, or unsafe.7Service Industry News. Pool Franchisee Sued for Deceptive Acts
The Ackermann family sued in April 2024 over $112,500 in deposits for work they said was never started or finished, and they also named Premier Franchise Management, arguing the franchisor knew or should have known VanWye was misusing the brand.8WRTV. Families File Lawsuits Against Indianapolis Pool Business Francis Stevens said he paid over $130,000 for work that was incomplete and not properly permitted or inspected, and that the existing construction had to be torn out. The Long family said they paid over $60,000 for a pool with leaks, improper electrical work, and improperly buried gas lines. The Samson family said their pool cracked and failed inspection for bonding and grounding, producing electrical shocks that made them fear electrocution. Julie Elsbury claimed more than $40,000 in damages for similar problems.
As of the most recent reporting, one of the nine suits had settled, one had been dismissed, and the rest were pending. A separate suit by a pool cover company produced a $51,346 judgment against Turnkey Design and Build LLC on May 21, 2024. Turnkey itself was dissolved on February 16, 2024. VanWye said by email that the company had been “ruined by sub contractors” and that insurance was handling the claims; his attorney declined to comment.
Premier Franchise Management, the national franchisor, denied being a party to the contracts VanWye signed with homeowners.
Nevada Contractor Board Action
Not every dispute has gone through the courts. In Nevada, a Premier Pools and Spas location drew 26 complaints to the Nevada State Contractors Board from homeowners alleging faulty or incomplete work and from subcontractors claiming to be owed tens of thousands of dollars. The board placed the company on probation in January 2023 and lifted that probation in May 2023. A disciplinary hearing was scheduled for December 2024 to decide whether the company’s contractor license should be revoked, and a company representative told the board it would accept whatever action the board deemed necessary.9Fox 5 Vegas. Homeowners Go Before Nevada State Contractors Board After 26 Cases Filed Against Pool Builder If you’re dealing with a licensed contractor, a complaint to the state board runs on a separate track from any civil suit and can affect the license itself.
Can the National Franchisor Be Held Responsible?
This is the practical question for a homeowner whose local operator has closed up shop. Premier Pools and Spas is a franchise system managed by Premier Franchise Management, headquartered in Roseville, California, and founded by Paul Porter, with more than 170 franchise owners across the country.10Entrepreneur. Premier Pools and Spas Franchise Each location is independently owned and operated; the national brand provides marketing, training, software, and vendor discounts, while franchisees sign their own contracts with customers.11Premier Pools Franchise. Premier Pools Franchise
The franchisor has leaned on that structure in litigation. When Indianapolis families sued both the local franchisee and the national company, Premier Franchise Management responded that it was not a party to the homeowner contracts. One case is now directly testing that firewall. In Kelly v. Premier Pools and Spas Services, LLC, filed in Montana federal court in April 2025, the original defendants included multiple corporate entities and executives. By February 2026, several of those defendants had been dismissed by stipulation, but Premier HoldCo, LLC had been added as a defendant and filed an answer to an amended complaint in March 2026. A settlement conference is scheduled for August 11, 2026.12PACER Monitor. Kelly v. Premier Pools and Spas Services, LLC et al
A Separate Texas Trademark Dispute
One prominent Premier Pools case has nothing to do with homeowner deposits and shouldn’t be confused with the consumer suits above. Sean, Peter, and Thomas Dodd, who ran a small independent “Premier Pools” in Lewisville, Texas, since 1989, sued Premier Pools Management Corp. for trademark infringement after it opened a franchised location nearby. A second jury on September 25, 2014, ruled for the Dodds, awarding $455,006 in damages and trademark protection across 12 Dallas-Fort Worth counties.13Pool and Spa News. Plaintiffs Win Premier Pools Trademark Suit The Texas Fifth Court of Appeals affirmed the damages and injunction on August 12, 2016, reversing only the trial court’s award of attorney’s fees.14Justia. Premier Pools Mgmt. Corp. v. Premier Pools, Inc. The case is about brand names, not construction, and doesn’t touch on customer refunds or workmanship claims.
If You Have a Claim
The Nebraska, Indianapolis, Nevada, and Montana matters share a pattern worth recognizing: large upfront and mid-project payments, work that stops or fails inspection, and a local operating company that dissolves before customers can collect. Homeowners in Nebraska recovered through a combination of an Attorney General enforcement action, individual civil suits, and ultimately a criminal referral. In Nevada, the contractors board provided a regulatory route separate from litigation. Whether the national franchisor will be held responsible where the local franchisee has closed is an open question the Montana case may help answer.