ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE OBTAINS COURT ORDER SHUTTING DOWN HOUSEHOLD GOODS MOVER

Prime Movers may no longer sell moving and storage services to consumers

Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that his Consumer Protection Division obtained an Order from the Circuit Court for Montgomery County against Jacov Sudai, the owner of Starline Van Lines, Inc. d/b/a Prime Movers ("Prime Movers"), requiring Mr, Sudai to stop selling moving and storage services to consumers. Prime Movers is a Maryland household goods mover located at 1710 Olive Street, Beaver Heights, MD. Under the Order, Mr. Sudai is prohibited from owning or operating a household goods mover in Maryland and may not to be employed by any company that provides moving or storage services intrastate to Maryland consumers.

In November 2003, Mr. Sudai and his company entered into a settlement agreement with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division under which they promised to pay restitution to consumers and change Prime Movers’ business practices. Those practices included: providing consumers artificially low estimates and charging them significantly higher amounts when the moves were completed, and selling consumers insurance that the company never purchased or provided.

When Prime Movers failed to comply with the terms of the settlement, the Division sued Mr. Sudai in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. In October 2005, the Circuit Court ordered Mr. Sudai and his moving company to comply with the terms of its settlement with the Division. The Court also entered a judgment against Mr. Sudai in the amount of $466,525.85. However, the Division alleged that Mr. Sudai failed to change his company’s moving practices in violation of the Court’s Order.

A hearing was scheduled before the Circuit Court for May 11, 2006, to determine whether Mr. Sudai was in contempt of court. Prior to the scheduled hearing, Mr. Sudai admitted that he was in contempt and consented to the Court’s Order shutting down his business. "We are pleased that this company and its owner will no longer be able to harm Maryland consumers," said Attorney General Curran. Consumers with complaints against Prime Movers are encouraged to call the Consumer Protection Division’s complaint hotline at (410) 528-1840 or (877) 261-8807.