Iowa Attorney General, Tom Miller, has filed a second lawsuit against an eBay seller who is alleged to have engaged in price gouging during the pandemic. Brenda Kay Noteboom of Orange City has been accused of selling more than 320 items at elevated prices for at least two weeks in mid to late March. This included items such as toilet paper, paper towels, disinfecting and sanitizing products and other things needed by disaster victims. According to the affidavit, Noteboom gained more than $5,500 from these sales. This defendant is tied to the first lawsuit as well. Noteboom is the sister of that defendant, Michael Evan Noteboom. Miller filed that lawsuit in April, alleging excessive pricing on more than 250 eBay items. Michael Noteboom denies the allegations. In early May, he agreed to a temporary injunction that prevented him from buying or selling merchandise needed by COVID-19 victims. Since the beginning of the public health emergency, the Consumer Protection Division has received roughly 620 reports of price gouging that include 427 formal complaints. “Through news reports, public-service announcements and other notices, our office has informed sellers and the public that we will not hesitate to protect consumers from price gouging,” Miller says. This practice harms all consumers. Miller says, for example, seeing substantially increased prices on necessary items can create a panic and cause hoarding and storage of items needed by others. Violators face civil penalties of up to $40,000 under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. Miller is asking for a judge to order a temporary and permanent injunction against Brenda Noteboom as well as for consumer restitution and civil penalties.
