An unprecedented consumer protection lawsuit has been filed by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson against a company accused of failing to deliver on its promise to those who pledged money toward its Kickstarter campaign. The novel suit shows that Kickstarter project creators who don’t deliver on what they promise on the site are not immune from the wrath of Johnny Law.

The large crowd-funding site Kickstarter—a great resource for creative-types seeking financing for their endeavors—has run into its fair share of projects where creators of funded campaigns have either failed to deliver goods in the manner promised or, worse still, failed to deliver the goods at all.

Ferguson's office filed suit against Ed Nash and his Nashville, TN-based company Altius Management for its alleged failure to deliver its promised Asylum Bicycle Playing Cards to its pledgers since its Kickstarter campaign was fully funded on October 31, 2012. Ferguson’s office seeks restitution for consumers—at least 31 of whom are from Washington—including as much as $2,000 per violation under the Consumer Protection Act, in addition to compensation for the state’s costs and attorney’s fees.

The playing cards in question—which were guaranteed to any individuals who pledged $9 or more toward the campaign—are described on Kickstarter as “a retro-horror themed playing card deck printed by Bicycle and only available here!” 810 individuals together pledged more than $25,000 in support of the campaign, which was funded after $15,000.

The complaint, filed in Washington’s King County Superior Court, alleges that “During the Asylum Playing Cards Campaign, Defendants induced consumers to pay them $25,146 but, despite over two years passing since the completion of the Kickstarter campaign and transmission of the funds, not a single consumer has received the goods they’ve paid for.”

The state of Washington further claims that Nash and Altius have violated the terms of the Kickstarter licensing agreement, which states that “project creators are legally bound to fulfill backer rewards if funding is successful.” Throughout the campaign the defendants began to promise rewards in addition to the decks of cards themselves, including “Asylum-style poker chips, dice, sketches, a ceramic ‘dealer button,’ and even a costume straitjacket.”

Commenting on the suit, a spokesman for Kickstarter told Ars, “Tens of thousands of incredible projects have been brought to life through Kickstarter. We want every backer to have an amazing experience, and we’re frustrated when they don’t. We hope this process brings resolution and clarity to the backers of this project.” Altius Management could not be immediately reached for comment.