Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit against Thomas Huber Jr., operating under the business names of Huber’s Tree Care, Capital Tree Service and Tree Doctor, for multiple violations of Ohio’s consumer laws.

“This individual represented that he was licensed to perform services that he wasn’t licensed to provide,” DeWine said. “It’s unfair to consumers when individuals or businesses pretend to hold special licenses when they don’t, in fact, have those licenses.”

Huber solicited, offered and sold landscaping services through door-to-door sales in Central Ohio, representing that he was a professional, full-service, certified arborist as well as a licensed pesticide applicator.

According to complaints filed to the Attorney General, Huber also stated that he could repair ash trees with his “special formula” pesticide. However, according to the Department of Agriculture, Huber is not a licensed pesticide applicator in the state of Ohio. The lawsuit also alleges that in some cases, Huber demanded upfront payments exceeding $1,000 for his services and then failed to provide those services.

The lawsuit charges Huber with violating Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act. Counts include failure to deliver and unfair and deceptive business practices. Huber also is charged with violating the Home Solicitation Sales Act. Violations include failure to provide consumers with a written agreement outlining landscaping services and failure to provide notice of the consumer’s right to cancel. In the lawsuit, DeWine seeks consumer restitution, civil penalties and injunctive relief.

Updated: 12/3/13