Jul 11, 2025, 4:08 AM
Jul 10, 2025, 1:49 PM

Michigan AG sues brothers for extorting small businesses

Provocative
Highlights
  • The Michigan Attorney General's office filed a lawsuit against Eric Vander Ley and Daniel Vander Ley for allegedly extorting small businesses through falsely created LLCs.
  • These brothers used harassing tactics, including bogus copyright infringement claims, demanding money from local business owners.
  • The lawsuit aims to dissolve the fraudulent LLCs and impose fines on the perpetrators, highlighting the need for legal protections against such scams.
Story

In Michigan, a lawsuit has been filed by the state's Attorney General Dana Nessel against two brothers, Eric Vander Ley and Daniel Vander Ley. The lawsuit claims they engaged in an extortion scheme targeting small businesses in Ferndale by confusing these businesses with similarly named limited liability companies that they created. The lawsuit seeks to dissolve 17 of these LLCs and impose civil fines on the brothers. Victims included local establishments, such as Bags and Beads, Como's Restaurant, and Urbanrest Brewing Company, which faced harassment and false copyright infringement claims demanding payment. Nessel's office argued that this behavior corrupts the business environment and should be remedied to protect small business owners who were unjustly harassed and induced to create settlements under false pretenses. The case addresses the broader implications of such extortion practices, emphasizing that local economies deserve protection against deceptive solicitation and harassment.

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