"“Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the person (actually a friend) whom I hired to oversee installing a barbecue area (among other things) on Martha’s Vineyard, was completely negligent in obtaining proper permits, which he assured us and others numerous times he had. In short, we were scammed.”"
Nope. Sounds to me like you are trying to blame your 'friend' for not getting the permits, which is YOUR responsiblity.
Not his.
if it was a black bbq , get the JUSTICE BROTHERS , Al & J. J.