TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) — Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced a lawsuit against Christopher Kaufmann and his jewelry store for alleged deceptive jewelry consignment practices.
Kaufmann operated businesses under the names Christopher Kaufmann, Christopher Kaufmann, Le Salon, CK Le Salon LLC and Nikolas LLC. He ran the businesses on Worth Avenue, a high-status retail district in Palm Beach County.
Bondi’s office alleges the Kaufmann’s stores led consumers to believe they could sell high-end jewelry for the price listed in the consignment agreement. Once they gave the store their jewelry, however, they were allegedly never given the full price.
These consumers, according to Bondi, made repeated requests to either return jewelry or receive full price but were denied. The store purportedly said the jewelry had been lost, stolen or sold but that the store could pay consumers in an installment plan. After one installment plan, Bondi’s office alleges the store would stop paying.
Bondi seeks to permanently bar the businesses and owners from engaging in business in Florida. Additionally, she seeks full restitution for allegedly affected consumers, which could be more than $500,000.