The Aquinnah Conservation Commission and building inspector Leonard Jason Jr. filed suit this week against an Aquinnah homeowner to stop unpermitted construction work on his shorefront property after other efforts failed to bring him in line with town requirements.

In a complaint filed Tuesday, Jan. 17 in Dukes County Superior Court, the town claims that in 2021, Jeff Elghanayan, owner of 5 Mariners View Lane, began building a second home on his property in an area designated as wetlands without permission from the Conservation Commission and without seeking a building permit.

After learning last spring that work was underway, both the commission and the building inspector issued cease and desist orders, and were advised by Mr. Elghanayan’s lawyer that he would comply.

But the lawsuit contends that Mr. Elghanayan neither appealed the cease and desist orders, nor sought permission from either the commission or the building inspector to pursue the work.

“On or about January 15, 2023, town officials received complaints that construction was ongoing on the Elghanayan property,” the lawsuit notes.

The lawsuit asks the court to issue an order allowing town officials to inspect the property, a temporary order stopping Mr. Elghanayan from conducting any further construction work on his property, an order requiring him to restore the property to its original condition and an assessment of fines and attorneys’ fees.