1. After demand, the administrator may bring a civil action against a person for all amounts of money, other than penalties, which a consumer or class of consumers has a right to recover explicitly granted by this chapter. The court shall order amounts recovered or recoverable under this subsection to be paid to each consumer or set off against the consumer’s obligation. A consumer’s action, other than a class action, takes precedence over a prior or subsequent action by the administrator with respect to the claim of that consumer. A consumer’s class action takes precedence over a subsequent action by the administrator with respect to claims common to both actions but intervention by the administrator is authorized. An administrator’s action on behalf of a class of consumers takes precedence over a consumer’s subsequent class action with respect to claims common to both actions. Whenever an action takes precedence over another action under this subsection, the latter action may be stayed to the extent appropriate while the precedent action is pending and dismissed if the precedent action is dismissed with prejudice or results in a final judgment granting or denying the claim asserted in the precedent action. A defense available to a person in a civil action brought by a consumer is available to the person in a civil action brought under this subsection.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 537.6113

  • Administrator: means the administrator designated in section 537. See Iowa Code 537.1301
  • Consumer: means the buyer, lessee, or debtor to whom credit is granted in a consumer credit transaction. See Iowa Code 537.1301
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Money: means the same as defined in section 554. See Iowa Code 554E.1
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Person: means :
     a. See Iowa Code 537.1301
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
 2. The administrator may bring a civil action against a person to recover a civil penalty of no more than ten thousand dollars for repeatedly and intentionally violating this chapter. No civil penalty pursuant to this subsection may be imposed for violations of this chapter occurring more than two years before the action is brought or for making unconscionable agreements or engaging in a course of fraudulent or unconscionable conduct.
 3. The administrator may bring a civil action against a person for failure to file notification in accordance with the provisions on notification in section 537.6202, or to pay fees in accordance with the provisions on fees in section 537.6203, to recover the fees the defendant has failed to pay plus interest at the rate of seven percent per annum and the administrator’s reasonable costs in bringing the action, and a civil penalty in an amount determined by the court not exceeding the greater of three times the amount of fees the person has failed to pay or one thousand dollars.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Chapter 537 Contents