Charleston, WV (WOAY) – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has filed a lawsuit against a Disc Jockey/Wedding planner for allegedly failing to provide advertised services to several clients.
Morrisey began investigating Smith following several complaints from West Virginia consumers. Smith claimed to own and operate the business first from West Virginia then in Ohio from April 2020 through May 2021.
Helen Marie Nichole Smith, of Steubenville, Ohio, conducted business in West Virginia. Smith reportedly signed more than 135 contracts to provide disc jockey services for upcoming weddings in West Virginia and other states.
Over 30 West Virginia customers contracted Smith’s services. However, she allegedly did not provide the services consumers acquired her for.
As a result, several consumers canceled their contracts in April and May of 2021, which led Smith to file for bankruptcy. She identified more than 135 “consumer creditors” in her filing related to her disc jockey services, claiming the amount of debt owing was “unknown.”
A Hancock County grand jury indicted Smith in September 2021 on a single count of fraudulent schemes, which she pleaded guilty to this past February.
Attorney General Morrisey’s lawsuit requested that judges order Smith to pay maximum civil penalties for each Consumer Credit and Protection Act violation.
