Cancellation of church trip results in Consumer Protection Act judgment

Gerald Edwards planned a trip to Africa for himself and a number of church members.  He made reservations and bought the necessary tickets through his company, Engineered Plastic Products, Inc.  He enlisted the services of a travel agency, Cape to Cairo, L.L.C., in making his arrangements.  The group was scheduled to leave on September 17, 2001.  It was cancelled after "911."  Nevertheless, the booking agent, "Cape" allegedly lied about refunds received from the air carrier and lodging contractors, and attempted to pass on its own cancellation fee along with false contractor's fees. 

Edwards sued under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act to recover these fees, and "Cape"  argued that the Act did not apply because his purchases were made through his company "for commercial purposes."  The Court of Appeals upheld the trial court's award of damages to Edwards, holding that his charitable purposes in planning the trip did not exempt him from the Consumer Protection Act.