Indiana tree trimmer accused of ripping off senior

INDIANAPOLIS — The state is suing an Indianapolis tree trimmer that the attorney general’s office alleges took $7,500 from a 93-year-old man and then performed shoddy work.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in a Marion County court against Spaulding’s Tree Experts. The attorney general’s office said in a statement Thursday that the suit was the first to be filed under a new Senior Consumer Protection Act. The law provides harsher penalties for those found guilty of financially exploiting people 60 or older.

A phone message seeking comment was left at the company’s Indianapolis office.

The agency says the tree trimmers convinced a man with dementia to sign a $6,000 contract and then charged more money for the same services.

The lawsuit also alleges the company’s work was inadequate.