(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.

Attorney's Note

Under the Alabama Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Violationup to 30 daysup to $200
For details, see Ala. Code § 13A-5-7

Terms Used In Alabama Code 8-19A-18

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(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.