DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline) — Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced June 1 that Joshua Joseph Auten, owner of Over the Top Construction, will pay $129,855 and comply with several requirements after allegations of making misrepresentations to consumers in violation of the state’s Consumer Fraud Act.
Auten purportedly made several misrepresentations to consumers on home repair projects, failed to provide labor, materials or reimbursement of down payments, never responded to consumer complaints, did not do his Iowa Door-to-Door Sales Act Duty of providing notices and following certain procedures, failed to disclose that he was in the middle of a host of civil lawsuits against him and did business under false names.
The monetary judgment will reimburse 10 consumers who were allegedly victimized by Auten.
“Some of these consumers lost as much as $10,000, and one lost $45,000,” Miller said in a statement. “This case is a good reminder of why we advise consumers to never pay large sums of money up front.
Auten must comply with the terms of the settlement or face a permanent ban on contracting and be fined additional penalties.