TOPEKA – (March 26, 2021) – A Manhattan man who operated a concrete company has been banned from doing business in Kansas, ordered to pay more than $13,500 in restitution to consumers, and fined $100,000 for violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.
Douglas L. Bell III, of Manhattan, doing business as Custom Concrete Contractors, LLC, was permanently banned from doing business in Kansas. Shawnee County District Judge Mary E. Christopher on March 17 approved a default judgement in Shawnee County District Court after Bell failed to respond to a lawsuit the attorney general filed against him. Bell was ordered to pay a total of $13,606.55 to two consumers in Shawnee County. Bell was also fined $100,000 in civil penalties and ordered to pay the costs of the attorney general’s investigation.
Bell was accused of violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act by failing to honor a two-year warranty on the installation of an entrance and driveway for a consumer and failing to perform work on a project after being paid.
More tips on staying safe from consumer fraud are available on the attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org. A copy of the default judgment is available at www.InYourCornerKansas.org/judgments.