New York Attorney General Letitia James recovered over $40,000 for customers who had their weddings cancelled at the Falkirk Estate & Country Club in Central Valley due to Covid19 shutdowns.
During today’s announcement, AG James explained that couples reported Falkirk for refusing to refund their deposits after their weddings were cancelled due to pandemic restrictions on large gatherings. The AG’s office came to an agreement with Falkirk that the venue must repay two couples $18,300 apiece. In addition, any other individuals who made deposits between June 26, 2020 and May 19, 2021, but were denied refunds, must be reimbursed by Falkirk, according to the AG.
The AG received complaints from various couples that Falkirk refused to refund them their deposits although the venue cancelled their weddings because of pandemic-related restrictions and shutdowns. In a letter, Falkirk claimed that it used the deposits to fund the venue’s operations instead of earmarking it for the couples’ events.
Following previous negotiations with the AG’s office, Falkirk already returned $22,500 to two couples for their cancelled weddings.
“Today’s agreement returns joy and money to New Yorkers who were unfairly denied refunds for their cancelled weddings,” said AG James. “Although the pandemic forced many couples to cancel their weddings, they shouldn’t have been left waiting at the altar for their refunds. This is a big day for couples who were not able to celebrate at Falkirk, and I encourage anyone who paid a deposit but was denied a refund for their cancelled event to contact my office.”
To submit a request for a refund, contact Assistant Attorney General Cheryl Lee at (845) 485-3925. Individuals have 180 days from the date the agreement was signed to submit a request for a refund.
This case was handled by Lee, who is based out of the Poughkeepsie Regional Office, under the direction of Assistant Attorney General in Charge Vinita Kamath. The Poughkeepsie Regional Office is a part of the Division of Regional Affairs, which is led by Deputy Attorney General Jill Faber. The Division of Regional Affairs is overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.
