KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Republican Fort Bend County Clerk candidate Tamara McFarlane is being sued by a Dallas based roofing company for nearly $11,000, the latest in a series of controversies and lawsuits against her.
Roofing Company Seeks Nearly $11,000 in Unpaid Services
Sali's Roofing LLC filed a motion for default judgment July 13, 2024, seeking $10,991.73 for unpaid roofing services in Fort Bend County.
According to the company's petition, McFarlane sold the property on Kyler Cove Lane in Katy, in December 2024, without paying the remaining balance. The company claims McFarlane received $29,680.90 in insurance payments for a $40,625.59 roofing project completed Sept. 19, 2024.
"She put me though hell," said Brad Sykes of Sali's Roofing said in a text message to Covering Katy News. "There's no way I want her to get off so she can commit more fraud against the people."
Covering Katy News asked McFarlane for her side of the story. She refused, saying Covering Katy is "fake news," so we've posted the court documents below, verifying that the case against her is very real.
See court documents here: Sali's Roofing v. Tamara McFarlane
Seeking to properly present McFarlane's side of the story we dug deep into the court records and located McFarlane's response where she denies owing any money to Sali's Roofing.
"I have paid Sali's Roofing in full for the work they performed," McFarlane said.
McFarlane also accused Sali's of breaking the law, alleging the company submitted supplemental claims to her insurance company without her knowledge, illegally agreed to waive her deductible then collected it anyway, failed to properly replace flashing and vents, and billed her for work not performed including gutter replacement she says never happened. In response, the roofing company submitted photos of the gutters to the court so the judge could determine who is telling the truth.
McFarlane also claims she was never properly served with court motions. However, we found court records showing she was served with a citation April 7. Her answers were due April 21. She made the court wait until Sept. 2 before she filed her response which we have posted below.
Fort Bend County Civil Court
Tamara McFarlane's response to the court
Tamara McFarlane submitted this document in response to the lawsuit filed by Sali's roofing against her.
Roofer Brad Sykes disputes both McFarlane's response to the court and information she's provided to the insurance company.
"She didn't just steal from me, she committed insurance fraud and then lied to the court in her paperwork filing," Sykes said in a text message to Covering Katy News.
The case remains active so it's now up to Justice of the Peace Kelly Crow to determine who is telling the truth.
McFarlane sued by her HOA for drilling unapproved water well
The roofing case is one of two recent lawsuits involving McFarlane. She and her husband, Brad Michael McFarlane, were both sued by the Grayson Lakes Community Association over an unapproved water well at their upscale home where municipal water service was already available. According to court documents, Brad and Tamara McFarlane settled the lawsuit on Feb. 19, 2025.
The 400th District Court found that the McFarlanes violated the neighborhood's deed restrictions by installing the water well without approval. However, the association agreed to grant a temporary variance allowing the couple to maintain the well as long as they own the home.
The variance terminates when the property is sold or conveyed to anyone other than the McFarlanes or their biological or adopted children.
Before selling the home, the McFarlanes must have the well permanently removed, plugged or capped by a licensed water well driller or pump installer in accordance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality guidelines. They must also provide written documentation to the homeowners association from Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 130 confirming the well has been properly closed and that the property's sole water supply is being provided by the Municipal Utility District.
Both parties agreed to release all claims against each other related to the lawsuit. The court ruled that each party will pay its own attorney fees and costs. That means the Grayson Lakes Community Association had to use its funds, paid for by its residents, to fund the lawsuit.
See court documents: Grayson Lakes Community Association v. Brad and Tamara McFarlane
Campaign marked by unsubstantiated accusations and lost endorsements
Beyond her legal issues, McFarlane has been at the center of multiple campaign controversies. She continues to claim her opponent is a communist, but her claims are undercut by an offer she made to drop out of the race if the county would appoint her as elections administrator. Had the county agreed, McFarlane would have cleared the way for opponent J.J. Clemence to receive the clerk's nomination unchallenged, raising questions about why she would facilitate the nomination of someone she characterizes as a threat to national security.
Another campaign controversy came to light this week. Victor Perez, McFarlane's former campaign treasurer, quietly resigned on January 31, citing unhappiness with the campaign's negativity and divisiveness.
"I have been unhappy with the negativity of the campaign and the divisiveness it has created within the party," Perez wrote in his statement to Covering Katy News.
Texas state Rep. Steve Toth of Montgomery County has also confirmed that he has pulled his endorsement of McFarlane.
Link to J.J. Clemence Endorsements
Profanity-laced tirade and threats of legal action
Multiple witnesses say McFarlane went on a profanity-laced tirade after a Republican candidate's event. One witness said County Judge Candidate Daniel Wong had to be quickly escorted from the parking when McFarlane began heading in his direction.
McFarlane's pattern of accusing people, like roofer Brad Sykes, of committing crimes has carried over to the campaign. She's been threatening legal action against those who challenge her political claims on social media. In a recent Facebook message, she wrote, "I look forward to personally suing you for slander and libel. Your lies have gone too far."
Accusing people of slander and libel has been a recent recurring theme as the campaign moves closer to election day.
One of many social media threats by Tamara McFarlane where she accuses her critics of slander and libel.
McFarlane never voted in a March Republican primary
McFarlane claims to be a conservative, but her voting record shows she's not being completely transparent about voting conservative. She's never voted in a March Republican primary since registering in 2019. McFarlane has cast only one ballot in a Republican runoff. So, while she says she's conservative, she's not consistently casting votes for conservatives.
Here opponent J.J. Clemence registered to vote in Fort Bend County in 2015 and has voted in every Republican primary since then, according to county voting records.
Polls Open Soon
Early voting for the primary election begins Feb. 17 and runs through Feb. 27. Election day is March 4.
See our campaign profiles. Read more about Clemence. Read more about McFarlane.
Also Read: Retiring County Clerk Endorses J.J. Clemence
Both Clemence and McFarlane have purchased campaign advertising on CoveringKaty.com at the same rate, with ads running in identical locations on the website for the same duration.