By: Brandon Kingdollar - November 15, 2024 5:30 am
Hurricane Helene damaged homes and left debris piled up throughout western North Carolina. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
A western North Carolina landscaper was hit with a preliminary injunction for allegedly charging more than $25,000 after Hurricane Helene to remove two trees that collapsed onto a Hendersonville couple’s home — which he subsequently failed to remove.
Attorney General Josh Stein accused the company, run by Lorenzo Lorin Huggins, Sr., of demanding more than three times the market rate for emergency tree removal services after the couple contacted him concerned the two trees brought down by the storm would collapse their roof.
The company’s workers, however, allegedly failed to remove the trees at all, and instead dropped tree limbs through the hole in the couple’s roof and caused one of the trees to fall onto and damage a retaining wall in their yard. The workers left without finishing the job, Stein said, even after charging $25,500 to the couple’s credit card — with no quote or estimate in advance — forcing them to contact another company to complete the removal.
Huggins, for whom no attorney is yet listed in North Carolina court records, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Wake County Superior Court found “a strong likelihood” the state will prevail in the lawsuit, leading it to grant an injunction against Huggins and his companies, including Huggins & Sons Yard Service and Lorenzo & Son Landscaping.
“Given the state of emergency in Western North Carolina as the result of the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, swift action restraining Defendant’s conduct is needed,” wrote Judge A. Graham Shirley II.
The court ordered that Huggins and his companies cease any unfair and deceptive practices or price gouging and refrain from destroying business and financial records or maneuvering business assets outside of “day-to-day expenses.”
Huggins will also be required to retain all customer records from 2024, complete banking information, and a current balance sheet for each of his businesses.
Stein’s office has taken aim at cases of price gouging in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, opening up and publicizing a tip line that received more than 100 complaints in just the first few days after the disaster — mostly for mark-ups at gas stations, grocery stores, and hotels.
Even before Helene, price gouging was a priority for Stein, leading him to bring 13 lawsuits since 2018 yielding $1.08 million in payouts to affected residents. His office investigated a series of price gouging allegations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as those around the sale of masks and basic household goods.
“Taking advantage of western North Carolinians in the aftermath of tragedy is wrong,” Stein said in a press release. “That’s why I took action to put a stop to this company, which I alleged engaged in deception. I am pleased the court ordered the company to stop its practices while this lawsuit continues.”
THIS STORY COURTESY OF N.C. NEWSLINE - Raleigh, NC
