CINCINNATI (Legal Newsline) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against a Batavia contractor who allegedly engaged in multiple violations of the state's consumer laws.
Jeff Comberger, doing business as JA Comberger Concrete, offered home improvement goods and services to consumers in Southwest Ohio through door-to-door sales.
Comberger allegedly took deposits from consumers before performing either shoddy work or failing to deliver the promised services in the first place. Comberger also allegedly failed to provide refunds and failed to notify consumers of their three-day right to cancel door-to-door sales.
"This business required consumers to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars in advance, and then failed to deliver or performed shoddy work," DeWine said in a statement. "By law, businesses must fulfill their promises to consumers, and when they don't, we will take action to hold them accountable."
In Ohio, some cities limit the down payment that home improvement contractors are allowed to charge. In Cincinnati, home improvement contractors cannot require a down payment of more than 10 percent of the total price of the contract, plus the cost of any special order supplies.
DeWine filed the lawsuit in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. The lawsuit charges Comberger and JA Comberger Concrete with violations of Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act and Home Solicitation Sales Act.
The attorney general is asking that the court impose civil penalties, injunctive relief and consumer restitution against the defendant.