NC Attorney General sues business owner accused of price gouging during Helene aftermath

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — Attorney General Josh Stein is suing a business owner accused of price gouging during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Lorenzo Huggins, Sr. and his businesses, including Huggins & Sons Yard Service and Lorenzo & Son Landscaping, for allegedly price gouging North Carolinians for tree removal services.

The lawsuit said Huggins charged a couple in Hendersonville $25,000 to remove two trees that fell on their roof and didn’t finish the job.

Instead of removing the trees and tree debris from the home and yard, according to the lawsuit, the workers dropped tree limbs and debris through the hole in the roof and into the house, causing a tree to fall on a wall.

Since Huggins did not complete the tree removal and cleanup, the couple had to hire and pay additional contractors.

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“As western North Carolina continues hurricane cleanup and rebuilding, I want price gougers to be on notice,” Stein said in a news release. “If you take advantage of people in their time of need and charge them unfair, excessive prices, my office will hold you accountable.”

Since 2018, Stein has filed 13 lawsuits against 30 defendants under North Carolina’s price gouging law. He has obtained 14 judgments or settlements totaling $1,080,000 from 25 defendants, including a $274,000 settlement, which is the largest price-gouging settlement in the department’s history.

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