Section 8-19A-18

Civil penalties; recovery of penalties.

(a) Any person who engages in any act or practices that violate this chapter is liable for a civil penalty of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation.

(b) The civil penalty may be recovered by any of the following:

(1) Civil action against the person engaging in the violative act or practice.

(2) Agreement and settlement of a civil action filed by stipulation of terms by the person engaging in the violative act or practice and the director of the division by authority of the Attorney General, and by payment of any agreed upon amount by the person against whom the claim was filed.

(3) The settlement of a claim against a person for violation of this chapter before civil action is filed by agreement upon terms and by the payment of any settlement amount agreed upon by the person and the director of the division by authority of the Attorney General.

(c) Upon ceasing the violative act or practice and agreeing to desist therefrom, and upon the payment of the settlement or stipulated amount to the office of the Attorney General by the person in violation, the director of the division may terminate the investigation or prosecution of any civil action or proposed action.

(d) The division or the court may waive any civil penalty or other claims, or costs if the person has previously made full restitution or reimbursement or has paid actual damages to the purchasers who have been injured by the act or practice in violation of this chapter.

(e) All amounts recovered and all monies paid under this chapter shall be deposited into the State General Fund and are appropriated as received hereby to the Attorney General's Special Revenue Account for implementing and enforcing this chapter.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (e), one half of the licensing fee collected under subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of Section 8-19A-7 shall be remitted to the treasury of the county within the State of Alabama in which the business is licensed.

(Acts 1994, No. 94-650, p. 1220, §18.)