EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Former owner of Posh Bridal, Renee Jessica Cuellar is being sued by the State of Arizona after allegedly scamming customers through her apparel business in Arizona, according to court documents obtained by KTSM.
The lawsuit identifies the State of Arizona as the plaintiff and identifies Cuellar, her business in Arizona, and her potential husband as defendants.
Court documents say Cuellar sold quinceañera dresses and other apparel from January 2017 through October 2023 in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Cuellar allegedly accepted customer deposits for the purchase of quinceañera dresses and other apparel without the intent to deliver the orders.
Court documents say that fulfilling customers’ orders required Cuellar to place a special order with third-party designers.
The lawsuit alleges that several customers paid a big percentage of a deposit for dresses that they never received. The lawsuit also alleges that Cuellar never provided a refund to those customers.
Cuellar would also mark up the retail price of the dresses by “approximately 200 to 225 percent,” according to court documents.
On several occasions, Cuellar also falsely represented that customers could not pay with credit or debit cards because the business’s card reader was not functioning properly and had customers pay with cash.
Court documents say Cuellar’s balance with one of the third-party designers reached “an all-time high of $33,063” by August 2023, according to court documents.
Cuellar also failed to comply with the terms of several payment plans with that particular designer.
The lawsuit also alleges Cuellar falsely represented to some customers that their orders would be delivered and falsely represented the dresses were delivered to the Arizona business and were available to the customer.
Court documents also say the business permanently closed on October 2023. Around the same time, a similar bridal dress store in El Paso owned by Cuellar also closed.
The lawsuit seeks to issue a permanent injunction against the defendants and orders them to pay the State of Arizona a civil penalty of $10,000 for each violation.
The lawsuit also seeks for the defendants to restore to all people who were affected in the amount of at least $43,855 and for the defendants to give up any profits that were obtained as a result of their unlawful actions.
Cuellar was also recently booked into the El Paso Detention Facility on two counts of theft of property.
Court documents state the bond was set at $20,000 but she was released on recognizance.
Read: Read More