Kansas contractor permanently banned from doing business in the state, AG says
An Iola man and his contracting company have been permanently banned from doing business in the state.
Don Diebolt, who operates as Diebolt LLC, has also been ordered to pay more than $18,000 in restitution and $40,000 in civil penalties for violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act after he failed to respond to a lawsuit filed against him by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office on July 14.
The AG’s office, in a Thursday news release, said Diebolt failed to “provide goods to consumers after being paid” and did business with customers in such a way that transactions “were excessively one-sided” in his favor.
Allen County District Judge Court Daniel Creitz approved the default judgment against Diebolt on Aug. 6, records show.
Under the judgment, Diebolt must pay $18,384.11 in restitution to two customers — one who paid $40,000 for a building that wasn’t fully completed and another who paid more than $15,000 for the construction of a pole barn that never materialized. Both customers contracted with Diebolt for the work in 2017.
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office made at least 20 attempts to contact and resolve the issues with Diebolt, to no avail, according to the judgment.
In addition to the restitution and $40,000 in civil penalties, Diebolt also been ordered to reimburse the Kansas Attorney General’s Office $2,568.75 for the cost of its investigation into the matter.
He is the sole owner and operator of his business.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
