Furniture company ordered to pay $1.2M in restitution

A Mountain Grove furniture company has been ordered to pay $1.2 million after being sued by the state attorney general's office for allegedly failing to provide purchased goods to customers in southern Missouri and across the nation.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office announced a consent judgment with Rough Country Rustic Furniture LLC, Rustic Concealment Solutions LLC and owners Joseph and Ashley Ross, according to a news release.

The lawsuit alleged the Rosses, primarily through Rough Country, falsely pledged to manufacture and deliver rustic furniture and home decor designed to conceal firearms.

The judgment establishes restitution for more than 1,400 consumers who filed complaints with the attorney general's office. The purchased items ranged from $20 to nearly $4,000, according to the release.

The consent judgment also bars the Rosses from taking upfront funds for products that aren't in inventory and requires them to ship items within 10 days of payment.

“My office will continue to aggressively pursue all available options to recoup restitution for those scammed by the Rosses and Rough Country," Schmitt said in the release.

Reached this morning, Joseph Ross said the allegations that Rough Country “scammed” customers is “inaccurate.” He said that in the consent judgment, the company agreed customers were impacted by the closure of Rough Country. It ceased operations in July 2018, after which the Rosses filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to a news release from the Better Business Bureau.

Ross said bankruptcy court ultimately would determine whether the $1.2 million restitution order is enforceable.

The Better Business Bureau reports more than 1,800 complaints filed against Rough Country. Rough Country has an “F” rating with the BBB, officials said.

According to the BBB, Joseph Ross in October 2019 set up a business called Farmhouse Store Co. LLC at the same location of Rough Country. He told the BBB the next month that he does not “sell anything that’s not in stock,” according to the release.

Ross this morning declined to speak about his current business.