Thread: Ohio AG vs Utah Businesses (including Gannuscia)

"Attorney General DeWine Announces Action Against Utah Businesses in Business Opportunity Sweep

11/15/2012
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a lawsuit against three Utah-based companies that sold an online work-from-home program to Ohio consumers. The lawsuit charges the companies with violating state and federal law. The action is part of a nationwide enforcement sweep led by the Federal Trade Commission.

"In joining with the FTC and other states in these actions we can help protect against these scams and alert citizens to this issue," said Attorney General DeWine. "Consumers need to be very careful before entering into a business opportunity plan. In this case, the businesses were marketing to Ohio consumers but they weren't following Ohio law."

According to the Attorney General, defendants Novus North LLC, doing business as Your eCommerce Support International LLC, YES International, Apply Knowledge LLC, doing business as Coaching Department, and VI Education LLC marketed a program that would help consumers create, develop, market, and run their own Internet businesses from home. The businesses also marketed additional products they claimed were essential to any successful business.

Sales representatives often made verbal promises that consumers could recover their initial investment in one to three months or earn $3,000 to $10,000 per month working only seven to 10 hours per week, but the Attorney General alleges that they failed to honor Ohioans' valid requests to cancel their agreement and failed to provide full refunds.

The lawsuit charges the businesses with multiple violations of Ohio's Business Opportunity Purchaser's Protection Act and violations of Ohio's Telephone Solicitation Sales Act and the federal Do Not Call regulations. In the lawsuit, the Attorney General seeks consumer restitution, injunctive relief, and civil penalties.

Attorney General DeWine provides the following information for consumers:

Under Ohio's Business Opportunity Purchaser's Protection Act, you have five days to cancel a business opportunity agreement in which you owe an initial payment of $500 to $50,000.
The seller must give you notice of your right to cancel and a written disclosure document.
Verbal promises must be in writing, and sellers cannot make misrepresentations.
Consumers who believe they have been treated unfairly in a business opportunity plan or any consumer transaction should contact the Ohio Attorney General's Office at 800-282-0515 or Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine - Home.


Complaint:

Novus (PDF)


Media Contacts:

Dan Tierney -- 614-466-3840
Mark Moretti -- 614-466-3840"

12CV1172 STATE OF OHIO EX REL MICHAEL DEWINE ATTY GENERAL vs. NOVUS NORTH LLC DMR File Date 11/15/2012 Case Status Open Case Status Date 11/15/2012 Case Disposition Undisposed Case Disposition Date

Party Information Party Name Party Alias(es) Party Type Attorney(s) Attorney Phone STATE OF OHIO EX REL MICHAEL DEWINE ATTY GENERAL DEWINE ATTORNEY GENERAL, MICHAEL PLAINTIFF LEAHY, ERIN B (614)752-4730 VI EDUCATION LLC DEFENDANT BROGDON, AARON T (614)365-2499 NOVUS NORTH LLC YES INTERNATIONAL YOUR ECOMMERCE SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL LLC DEFENDANT BROGDON, AARON T (614)365-2499 APPLY KNOWLEDGE LLC COACHING DEPARTMENT DEFENDANT BROGDON, AARON T (614)365-2499

Case Schedule Date Start Time Event Type Result 07/09/2013 08:45 AM CIVIL PRE-TRIAL

Docket Entries Date Text 06/13/2013 HEARING SCHEDULED: Event: CIVIL PRE-TRIAL Date: 07/09/2013 Time: 8:45 am Judge: RASTATTER, DOUGLAS M Location: 01/23/2013 ANSWER OF DEFTS NOVUS NORTH APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND VI EDUCATION WITH JURY DEMAND FILED Attorney: BROGDON, AARON T (81858) 12/28/2012 STIPULATED EXTENSION OF TIME TO ANSWER OR OTHERWISE RESPOND TO COMPLAINT FILED Attorney: BROGDON, AARON T (81858) 12/03/2012 CERTIFIED MAIL RECEIPT RETURNED SIGNED FOR: APPLY KNOWLEDGE @1352 W 1980 N - DOD 11/29/12 - /S/ KENNETH SONNENBERG 12/03/2012 CERTIFIED MAIL RECEIPT RETURNED SIGNED FOR: NOVUS NORTH @770 E MAIN ST/STE 155 - DOD 11/26/12 - /S/ M MARTIN 12/03/2012 CERTIFIED MAIL RECEIPT RETURNED SIGNED FOR: VI EDUCATION @7710 E MAIN ST/STE 155 - DOD 11/26/12 - /S/ M MARTIN 11/21/2012 CERT MAILER(S) ISSUED 11/21/2012 POSTAGE FEE 11/21/2012 REQUEST FILED AND SUMMONS WITH COPY OF COMPLAINT ISSUED BY CERT MAIL FOR SERVICE UPON ALL DEFTS 11/15/2012 COMPLAINT FILED

This is a case to watch!

I have a post I wrote about other connections here:

Utah Connections.00002

I'm very curious about Prosper hosting sites on the same IP as Apply Knowledge Institute.