George Strait Jr Sued Over Unpaid Bills — What the Builder Claimed

George Harvey Strait Jr., better known as Bubba, and his wife Tamara were sued in May 2025 by a San Antonio construction firm over disputed payments tied to a remodel of their Texas Hill Country home. Build Modern owner David Robertson filed the suit in Kendall County district court, accusing the couple of fraud and conspiracy, and seeking more than $124,000 in unpaid bills and contractual damages.

The case, filed in Kendall County, Texas, moved into private arbitration at the request of the Straits, who invoked a mediation clause built into their construction contract. After seven months of closed-door negotiations, both parties reached a confidential settlement. A judge signed the dismissal order on January 8, 2026, officially closing the matter. Neither side disclosed the terms.

George Strait Jr Lawsuit Timeline and Settlement

Late 2022 to 2024 — The Renovation Project Begins

George “Bubba” Strait Jr. and his wife Tamara contracted Build Modern, a San Antonio-based construction firm, to remodel their Texas Hill Country home. According to court documents, the contract was valued at $221,225 and carried a completion deadline of November 1, 2024.

Build Modern owner David Robertson is known in San Antonio for a portfolio of modern residential builds across the city. The firm took on the Strait renovation as part of that ongoing work.

November 2024 — Project Misses Its Deadline

The renovation was not completed by the November 1, 2024, deadline. Build Modern alleged in its subsequent filing that the delay was caused directly by choices made by Tamara Strait during the project. The company claimed she ordered backordered cabinets not scheduled for delivery until December, reversed a flooring selection after installation had already partially begun, and hired her own subcontractors for work that was supposed to fall under Build Modern’s contract.

According to court filings, Build Modern told Tamara Strait the project timeline had shifted as a result of these decisions, and it contended she was fully aware of the revised schedule. The company asserts it continued performing services despite the delays.

December 2024 — Contract Terminated, Payments Disputed

In December 2024, the contract between Build Modern and the Straits was terminated. Build Modern alleged the termination was initiated by the couple and their trust, Heritage Oaks Trust, after the project passed its original completion date. The company said it was left holding the costs of work performed, materials procured, and services rendered without receiving full payment.

Court filings show Build Modern was owed at least $57,000 for unpaid construction services and $67,662 remaining on the contractual balance, totaling $124,662 before legal costs or additional damages.

May 5, 2025 — Build Modern Files Suit in Kendall County

Build Modern filed its lawsuit on May 5, 2025, in Kendall County district court, naming George Strait Jr., Tamara Strait, and Heritage Oaks Trust as defendants, with Kalyn Carroll listed as trustee for the trust. Robertson’s claims went beyond the disputed invoices. The suit accused the couple of fraud and civil conspiracy, alleging the termination of the contract was a coordinated effort to avoid paying a contractor who had completed substantial work under the agreement.

The builder sought the $124,662 in disputed fees, reimbursement for lawsuit costs, and exemplary damages in an amount to be determined by a jury. Exemplary damages in Texas civil cases are available where the plaintiff can show fraud, malice, or gross negligence by clear and convincing evidence.

June 3, 2025 — Straits Invoke Arbitration Clause, Case Moves Out of Court

Attorneys for the Straits pointed to a standard clause in the renovation contract requiring mediation or arbitration before litigation could proceed. At the couple’s request, a judge signed an order on June 3, 2025, sending the dispute into private arbitration. The move shifted all proceedings out of the public court record and into closed-door negotiations.

January 8, 2026 — Case Dismissed After Private Settlement

After approximately seven months in private arbitration, Build Modern filed a withdrawal of its claims on January 6, 2026. Robertson’s filing stated:

“[Build Modern] and all defendants have resolved all claims between them at this time, [Build Modern] no longer wishes to pursue his claims against all defendants, Tamara Strait, George Strait Jr., and Heritage Oaks Trust, through its trustee, Kalyn Carroll.”

A judge signed the dismissal order two days later on January 8, officially closing the Kendall County case. Both the Straits and Build Modern declined to comment when contacted, leaving the settlement terms entirely undisclosed.

Who Is George Strait Jr.?

George Harvey Strait Jr., nicknamed Bubba, is the son of country music legend George Harvey Strait Sr., widely regarded as the King of Country Music. Bubba has worked primarily as a songwriter, co-writing several songs recorded by his father, including the single “Living for the Night” and two other tracks on George Strait’s 2009 album Twang, the latter of which was nominated for Best Country Album at the 2010 Grammy Awards.

Bubba maintains a low public profile despite his family name. He and Tamara, a licensed real estate agent, reside in San Antonio, Texas. Tamara Strait had the listing when George Strait Sr. and his wife Norma sold the family’s celebrated San Antonio home in 2021, a 7,925-square-foot property in the gated Dominion neighborhood designed by architect Bill Tull, priced at $7.5 million. The couple’s own Texas Hill Country home, the subject of the Build Modern dispute, sits north of San Antonio in the Boerne area of Kendall County.

What Build Modern Alleged: Fraud and Conspiracy Explained

The fraud and conspiracy claims in the Build Modern filing deserve unpacking, because they represent a higher legal bar than a simple breach of contract dispute.

In Texas civil law, a fraud claim requires the plaintiff to show that the defendant made a material misrepresentation, knew it was false or made it recklessly, intended for the plaintiff to rely on it, and that the plaintiff suffered actual damages as a result. Build Modern’s allegations pointed to the Straits’ conduct during the project: specifically that Tamara Strait’s decisions, including commissioning outside subcontractors and making material changes that triggered delays, were not merely mistakes but calculated steps that harmed the builder economically.

The civil conspiracy claim went further, alleging that George Strait Jr., Tamara Strait, and Heritage Oaks Trust acted in concert to terminate the contract and avoid payment. In Texas, civil conspiracy requires two or more persons to agree on an unlawful purpose or a lawful purpose achieved through unlawful means, with a resulting injury. Naming the trust alongside the couple suggests Build Modern believed assets were shielded through the trust in anticipation of the payment dispute.

Neither claim was ever tested in front of a jury. The case settled privately before any evidentiary proceedings could establish or refute the allegations. No court found fraud or conspiracy occurred. Both parties declined to comment on the resolution.

The Role of Heritage Oaks Trust in the Case

One notable detail in the Build Modern filing is the inclusion of Heritage Oaks Trust as a named defendant alongside George Strait Jr. and Tamara Strait. Kalyn Carroll was identified as the trustee. The trust appears to be the legal entity through which the Texas Hill Country property is held, a common estate-planning structure used to manage real estate assets, limit personal liability, and facilitate inheritance.

Naming the trust in the lawsuit was a strategic legal move by Build Modern. If the renovated property was titled in the trust’s name rather than in the Straits’ personal names, the trust would be the contracting party with the legal obligation to pay for construction services. Robertson’s filing addressed this by naming all three defendants jointly, ensuring that if a judgment was entered, it could be enforced against trust assets rather than only personal assets.

The dismissal order names all three defendants as resolved, suggesting whatever terms were reached in private arbitration covered the trust’s liability as well as the couple’s individual claims.

How Construction Disputes of This Type Typically Resolve

Homeowner-versus-contractor disputes over renovation payments are among the most common civil cases filed in Texas county courts. The Build Modern case followed a pattern familiar to construction attorneys: a contractor alleges non-payment and delayed decisions by the homeowner, the homeowner contests the quality or timeline of the work, and both parties eventually prefer a private resolution over the cost and publicity of a jury trial.

The arbitration clause in the Build Modern contract was a key mechanism here. Many residential construction agreements now include mandatory mediation or arbitration clauses precisely to keep payment disputes private, reduce litigation costs, and reach faster resolution. When the Straits’ attorneys invoked the clause in June 2025, they exercised a contractual right that is standard in the industry, similar to the kind of dispute mechanisms used in cases like the Flo Rida vs. Celsius lawsuit, where a contractual equity arrangement became the centerpiece of a later financial dispute.

Texas courts have consistently enforced mandatory arbitration clauses in residential construction contracts, meaning the parties had little choice but to take their dispute to a private arbitrator once the Straits invoked the clause. The seven-month duration of the arbitration suggests the case involved more than a simple accounting disagreement, likely requiring detailed review of invoices, contract amendments, scheduling records, and the history of material changes during the project.

What the Settled Case Does and Does Not Tell Us

A private settlement following arbitration is not an admission of liability by either side. Build Modern withdrew its claims, which means it reached a resolution it considered acceptable. The Straits paid something, or gave something, or received something that satisfied the builder enough to walk away. What that was remains unknown.

What the public record does establish: Build Modern was owed at least $124,662 by its own accounting before the case moved into arbitration. The Straits had a construction contract, the project ran past its deadline, material changes were made during the renovation, and outside subcontractors were brought in while Build Modern was still under contract. Those facts are not in dispute. Whether any of it constituted fraud or civil conspiracy was never adjudicated.

For contrast, celebrities and their families involved in similar construction disputes often face the same fundamental dynamic visible in cases like the Dave Ramsey workplace lawsuit, where private contractual arrangements became the subject of public litigation before a quiet resolution ended the matter.

What This Lawsuit Teaches Consumers

The George Strait Jr. Build Modern case is a compact illustration of how quickly a standard home renovation can turn into a six-figure legal dispute, and how the fine print in a construction contract shapes every outcome that follows.

The arbitration clause in the Build Modern agreement did exactly what it was designed to do: it pulled a contentious, embarrassing dispute out of public court proceedings and into a private room where both parties could negotiate without a jury, a judge’s public findings, or ongoing media coverage. For the Straits, that clause almost certainly saved them from a trial in which Build Modern’s fraud and conspiracy allegations would have been argued in open court, with every detail of the renovation project entered into the public record.

For consumers undertaking high-value renovation projects, the case offers two clear lessons. First, every change order, material substitution, and scheduling decision made during a project creates a paper trail that becomes evidence in any dispute. Tamara Strait’s decisions about cabinets, flooring, and subcontractors were the factual core of Build Modern’s allegations. Homeowners who make those kinds of changes mid-project should document every agreement, get revised timelines in writing, and understand how their changes affect the contractor’s contractual obligations.

Second, the entity through which a property is held matters in litigation. Heritage Oaks Trust was named as a defendant alongside the Straits personally because it was the likely title holder of the renovated property. Homeowners who hold real estate in trusts should understand that the trust itself can be a party to construction contracts and can be sued in its own right. The resolution of the Strait case covered the trust’s liability, but in a case that had proceeded to judgment, a contractor could have sought to enforce that judgment against trust assets directly.

Read These

• DuPont PFAS lawsuit
• MSU chemical exposure lawsuit
• AARP UnitedHealthcare lawsuit
• TSA spinal implant lawsuit
• Dave Ramsey workplace lawsuit