Local News in Brief : Travel Agency Settles
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Officials of a defunct Whittier travel operation have agreed to pay $20,000 in civil penalties and attorney fees to settle a consumer lawsuit charging that the agency did not make arrangements for hundreds of travelers who paid in advance, Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp said Wednesday.
The settlement was entered in Superior Court against Jet Exchange and its managers, Jorg Haussecker, Barbara Haussecker and Cora Haussecker.
The company closed its doors without warning in October, 1984, leaving hundreds of travelers stranded in Europe and hundreds more with prepaid travel arrangements that no airlines or hotels would honor because the firm had not paid for or made the necessary reservations.
The settlement, which was handled by Van de Kamp’s consumer law section, requires company officials to pay civil penalties and to abide by a court order prohibiting them from misusing money paid to them for travel or lodging.
A federal court action in 1985 forced the company to make refunds to Jet Exchange clients who were affected by the company closure.
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