By FLORIAN MARTIN
A Clear Lake woman is being sued by the state of Texas for allegedly posing as a Texas Workforce Commission contractor.
The state accuses Rebecca Lynn Dauler of approaching several Clear Lake area businesses pretending to work with the TWC and selling them safety posters that they could have obtained for free from the TWC.
According to the petition, the TWC was contacted by several businesses that stated that Dauler claimed that the TWC hired her company, 4 Compliance Today, to conduct inspections of the businesses to determine their compliance with Texas workplace laws and regulations.
She would then point out safety posters that she said were not in compliance with the law and sell them posters that she claimed were for $49.99 each, according to the lawsuit.
She also allegedly told one business that it could be shut down if it didn’t comply and to another, which refused entry to her, that she would “make a note” that the company would not let her into the facility, according to the document.
In a sworn affidavit, the director of TWC’s office of investigations, Bradford Ward, said he called Dauler on Aug. 12 and told her to stop pretending to be a TWC representative or the agency would sue her. He also said Dauler denied that she told businesses that she worked with the state.
However, Ward said, he received another complaint regarding Dauler pretending to work with the TWC from a business after the conversation with her.
The state is asking the court to impose penalties over $20,000 on Dauler for each of the six alleged violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Consumer Protection Act, to order Dauler to pay back the money that she received from the businesses as well as to pay the court costs
