Kansas judge bans Georgia machinery supplier from doing business, orders $33K payment

A Georgia man and his now-defunct business that supplied machinery for building engines has been banned from Kansas and ordered to pay more than $33,000.

A Shawnee County judge ordered Marvin Wood and his company MWA Machine Co. Inc. to refund a customer and to pay investigation costs, as well as two civil penalties. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced the judgment in a news release on Wednesday.

Judge Mary Christopher ordered the default judgment last week in Shawnee County District Court after Wood failed to respond to the attorney general’s lawsuit. The judgment permanently enjoined Wood and his company from doing business in the state after they were found to have violated Kansas consumer protection laws.

The lawsuit against the businessman alleged that he accepted payment for machinery from a customer in Kansas, but failed to actually deliver the product or to refund the consumer. The judgment declared their business practices to be “deceptive and unconscionable.”

The judge ordered Wood and his business to refund the customer $12,780. They were also ordered to pay $20,000 in civil penalties for two violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and nearly $850 for investigative fees.

Georgia Secretary of State records show Marvin A. Wood and Susan T. Wood operated MWA Machine from 6592 Rufus Bryant Rd. in Dahlonega, Georgia. The corporation was dissolved by the state in 2019 for failure to file its annual registration or failure to maintain a registered agent.

This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Kansas judge bans Georgia machinery supplier from doing business, orders $33K payment."