Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit against Calton's Lawn Care and its owners, Aron and Leslie Calton of Kent City. The suit alleges that the company accepted advance payments or deposits for lawn service and pool projects, performed little or no work, and then ignored or blocked customers who requested refunds. According to the lawsuit, these actions violated the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. The complaint seeks to dissolve Calton's Lawn Care and require repayment to affected customers.

The legal action also claims that the Caltons operated under multiple business names, including Calton’s Lawn Care and Lake Michigan Pool on Facebook, engaging in similar conduct with several consumers across West Michigan. Nessel encouraged anyone who may have had similar experiences with these businesses or other names connected to Aron or Leslie Calton to contact her office’s Consumer Protection Team.

“Companies cannot fail to provide the services they promised after accepting deposits or ignore rightful requests for refunds,” Nessel said. “My office will hold businesses accountable for engaging in these unfair practices.”

In 2024, the Department of Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team secured over $16 million in recoveries for residents and the state of Michigan. The team handled 10,000 consumer complaints and responded to 24,000 calls during that year. It also operates a support team for identity theft victims, oversees charitable trusts, and enforces protections against illegal robocalls.

Nessel warned that proposed budget cuts by the Michigan House of Representatives could reduce resources available for this work. If implemented, these cuts would limit assistance provided to consumers facing scams or seeking help with disputes.

“When residents are taken advantage of, they deserve to have an advocate who will step in, recover their money when possible, and hold bad actors accountable,” Nessel said. “The Consumer Protection Team has done just that – delivering millions back to Michiganders. Those results are at risk if the Legislature irresponsibly slashes our budget. We cannot weaken the protections that families and businesses across this state rely on.”

If a new budget is not approved by October 1, resident-facing services from the Department would be suspended. This would leave no staff available to answer consumer questions about scams or complaints against companies. New complaints about consumer issues or robocalls could not be processed; identity theft support would also be unavailable; mediation efforts would halt; and investigations into price gouging or deceptive marketing would stop.

Consumers can reach out to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team by mail at P.O. Box 30213 Lansing MI 48909; by phone at 517-335-7599 (fax: 517-241-3771); toll-free at 877-765-8388; or through an online complaint form.