A Fulton County judge has rejected efforts to disqualify Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office from a consumer fraud lawsuit stemming from Rokita’s own purchase of a used personal watercraft.
The June 8 ruling from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Gregory Heller allows the case to move forward despite arguments raised by the defendant’s attorney that Rokita is both the consumer whose transaction helped trigger the state’s lawsuit and a likely witness in the case.
The attorney general’s office sued Rochester resident Jess Sampson in December, alleging in court documents that he repeatedly violated Indiana consumer protection and vehicle merchandising laws by advertising vehicles, watercraft and parts through Facebook Marketplace without required licenses, operating as an unlicensed salvage recycler, “title jumping” vehicle ownership records and making false representations to buyers…