Connecticut Attorney General's Office
Press Release
Attorney General Announces Mailing Of $60,000 In Lakeview Restitution Checks
June 28, 2010
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today announced that his office has mailed $60,000 in restitution checks to consumers who paid a Bridgeport company for headstones that were never delivered.
Blumenthal said that the checks were sent to 73 consumers who made partial or full payments to the Lakeview Monument Co., LCC for gravestones never supplied. He said that his office will send the same consumers additional checks totaling $18,000 by May, providing them 100 percent restitution.
Blumenthal said, “I am pleased that our office secured full restitution -- every dollar back -- for consumers cruelly conned by Lakeview Monument. Consumers will now receive most of the money paid for gravestones never received -- with the rest by May.
“Lakeview extracted hard-earned dollars from vulnerable consumers consumed by grief and loss. The company and its owner continued accepting payments for monuments they could not deliver. Lakeview’s failure to provide headstones exacerbated the heartbreak of losing a loved one. This money back enables consumers to pay for headstones memorializing beloved family members.”
Verna Kearney, who paid Lakeview, but never received a headstone for her husband, said she and others have already received the checks.
Kearney said, “With checks in hand, the widows and I are extremely grateful to Mr. Blumenthal for making us whole.”
Blumenthal, in cooperation with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), sued Lakeview in 2008. The action alleged that Lakeview knew in April 2007 that it could no longer fulfill orders, but continued accepting deposits and full payments until it ceased operations in September 2007.
Blumenthal said his office has collected $60,000 from Lakeview owner Richard Miron. A court judgment obtained by Blumenthal’s office requires Miron to pay an additional $18,000 in consumer restitution by May 2011.
Blumenthal prosecuted his case in cooperation with the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, which brought separate criminal charges against Miron.