CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced a lawsuit Wednesday against a Cleveland talent agency and its owner for allegedly misrepresenting services and failing to give consumers proper notice of cancellation rights.
The Event in Orlando Inc. and Andrew Andrekopoulos, the company's owner, allegedly charged between $1,900 and $10,000 to the parents of children between the ages of six and 17 to attend a talent contest in Orlando that would help the children to be discovered.
Of the 19 consumers who filed complaints with DeWine's office and spent more than $40,000 in total, no children were discovered.
"This business exploited families' dreams of stardom and took thousands of dollars from them," DeWine said in a statement. "Parents should take this lawsuit as a warning: Some so-called talent agencies take more than they give."
The Event used radio ads to target parents whose children are interested in singing, dancing, modeling and acting. After a tryout in a local hotel, the business allegedly told consumers that their child was accepted for a chance to compete at The Event in Florida.
The business allegedly claimed The Event would be attended by representatives with The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, ABC and other networks, in addition to stars like Taylor Lautner, Selena Gomez and Miranda Cosgrove.
The attorney general's lawsuit alleges The Event and Andrekopoulos violated Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act and Home Solicitation Sales Act. The suit seeks injunctive relief, civil penalties and consumer restitution.