HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has filed a lawsuit against Edward and Beata Myles and their company, Professional Home Services Contracting, LLC, alleging they transferred properties to relatives in an attempt to hinder the state’s efforts to collect more than $500,000 owed to consumers.
The lawsuit, filed in Carbon County Court of Common Pleas, also names relatives Malgorzata Bennett and Robert Bennett as defendants, according to the Office of Attorney General.
The legal action follows a prior court ruling that ordered Professional Home Services to pay more than $500,000 to consumers who paid deposits for home improvement work that was not completed.
According to the attorney general’s office, Edward and Beata Myles transferred several properties valued at more than $130,000 to Bennett and Robert Bennett for $1 each shortly before the judgment was entered.
The attorney general alleges the transfers were not disclosed and could have interfered with efforts to collect restitution for consumers.
“This case is about a company’s continued disregard of victims and attempts to avoid accountability,” Sunday said. “Our office does not file a lawsuit, and then let the chips fall as they may. We are aggressively pursuing this company to secure payouts for victims who lost hard-earned money and have yet to be made whole.”
The attorney general’s office first sued Edward Myles and Professional Home Services in September 2022 for alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s Consumer Protection Law and the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act.
Officials said the office received numerous complaints from consumers who reported paying large deposits for home building or renovation projects that were never completed and, in some cases, never started.
The case resulted in a default judgment ordering the company to pay more than $500,000 in restitution to affected consumers.
Shortly before that judgment was entered, the company allegedly transferred multiple properties to Beata Myles’ mother and stepfather for $1 each.
Edward and Beata Myles later filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, according to the attorney general’s office.
The Office of Attorney General filed a proof of claim and an adversary complaint during the bankruptcy proceedings to argue that the consumer debt should not be discharged.
The bankruptcy court ultimately dismissed the case and barred Edward and Beata Myles from filing another bankruptcy case for 180 days, officials said.
The lawsuit is being pursued by the Office of Attorney General’s Financial Enforcement Section in coordination with the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
State officials encouraged any Pennsylvania resident who believes they were harmed by Professional Home Services or Edward and Beata Myles to file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection online or by calling 1-800-441-2555.
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