JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced today that his office filed suit against MV Realty, a family of companies originating in Florida, for its deceptive practices in marketing its services to Missouri homeowners.
“As Attorney General, I will enforce the laws as written and defend innocent Missourians from being ripped off,” said Attorney General Bailey. “I’m proud of the work done by our Consumer Protection Unit to obtain justice for victims in this case. The Attorney General’s Office will continue to do everything in our power to protect Missourians from deceptive business practices.”
The petition alleges that MV Realty, in violation of Missouri law, paid homeowners a tiny percentage of the value of their homes in exchange for a promise that the homeowner would use MV Realty as their brokers when they sold their homes. MV Realty described the agreement over the phone to thousands of consumers, many of whom had registered their numbers on Missouri’s No Call list.
MV Realty then sent notaries to meet with the homeowners in their homes, where the notaries claimed to be unable to answer any questions about the contract. The petition further alleges that MV Realty failed to tell the homeowners that the contract would be enforceable against their heirs after their death, that the contract bound them for 40 years, and that it would result in a lien being placed on their homes. In some instances, MV Realty falsely told homeowners that MV Realty would not place a lien on their homes, and that they would never have to pay the money back.
The petition asks the court to order that the liens be removed, to declare that the agreements are void and unenforceable, to provide restitution to consumers who have been charged unlawful cancellation penalties, and to order that MV Realty pay fines and penalties, including $213 million in penalties for calling homeowners on the No Call list.
“I encourage Missourians to file a complaint with my office if they think they’ve been scammed,” said Attorney General Bailey. “Start by calling our Consumer Protection hotline at (800) 392-8222 or by submitting a complaint online at ago.mo.gov.”
The lawsuit can be read here.