Pa. sues defunct Pure Weight Loss Centers, owner
Pennsylvania Attorney General has filed a consumer protection lawsuit against the defunct Pure Weight Loss chain.
Corbett said the lawsuit alleges that the Horsham, Pa., chain of weight-loss centers sold long-term contracts for food, supplements and counseling late last year knowing that the business was going to close.
Some contracts were sold after Pure Weight Loss announced on its Web site in December that its roughly 400 stores, including 47 in Pennsylvania, were closing, the lawsuit said. Customers paid up to $2,000 upfront, through contracts lasting sometimes over a year, the Attorney General's Office said.
The office received more than 850 complaints totalling $500,000 in undelivered goods and services, Corbett said.
"Taking money from consumers for goods that cannot be delivered is a clear violation of Pennsylvania's Consumer Protection law," Corbett said.
After announcing it was closing, Pure Weight Loss told customers to pick up the products they ordered before Jan. 4 "or file a claim for refunds -- but the defendants failed to pay refunds to all consumers or provide all of the products or services which had been purchased," the Attorney General's Office said.
The suit, which names Pure Weight Loss and company owner Vahan Karian as defendants, seeks a return of the money consumers paid and civil penalties of $1,000 per violation, or $3,000 for cases regarding senior citizens.
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