Attorney General Alleges Chicago Company Abruptly Shut Down, Failed to Refund Parents More Than $40,000
Chicago–(ENEWSPF)–December 19, 2012. Attorney General Lisa Madigan today filed a lawsuit against The Entertainment Project music camp that abruptly shut down earlier this year and failed to refund more than $40,000 to Chicago area parents.
Madigan filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against The Entertainment Project Inc., formerly based at 3633 N. California Ave., and its founders Timothy Kiernan and Lauren Peters. The musical theater production company offered after-school and summer programs for children at various locations, including several Chicago area schools.
Madigan’s suit alleges the company shut its doors in May, canceling the end of its spring session and its upcoming 2012 summer camp at Gordon Tech, for which families had already paid more than $40,000.
“The camp’s owners not only dashed kids’ hope, they took their parents’ money,” Madigan said. “This lawsuit is intended to ensure that these dishonest operators are put out of business in Illinois for good.”
The lawsuit alleges in leading up to The Entertainment Project’s closure, Kiernan and Peters continued to accept deposits of upwards of $1,000 per family for their upcoming summer camp. In some cases, parents also reported they were charged by the company $100 to $500 each without their authorization. Parents were notified of the business’ closing in an email from Kiernan, who attributed the closure to economic trouble and made no mention of refunds. Parents who attempted to get their money back received no response.
Madigan’s lawsuit is asking the court to ban the company from operating again in Illinois and to provide restitution to impacted families.
Assistant Attorneys General Janice Parker and Jonathan Reischl handled this case for Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Bureau.
Source: illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
