(1) Any person who offers a business opportunity and makes representations that are false, misleading, or deceptive shall be liable to the consumer/investor of such business opportunity in an amount equal to the sum of his actual damages or fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500), whichever is greater, as well as the cost of the action together with reasonable attorney’s fees, as determined by the court.
(2) (a) All persons registering pursuant to KRS § 367.805 shall either furnish a bond by a surety company authorized to do business in the Commonwealth or establish a full cash certificate of deposit with a licensed and insured bank or savings institution located in the Commonwealth to insure the veracity of all statements contained in the registration. The amount of the bond or certificate of deposit shall be in an amount equal to the total amount of the initial payments under all business opportunity agreements the offeror has entered into in the Commonwealth during the previous year but in no case shall the amount be less than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000). The bond or certificate of deposit shall be in the favor of the Attorney General of Kentucky.

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 367.815

  • Action: includes all proceedings in any court of this state. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Attorney: means attorney-at-law. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Company: may extend and be applied to any corporation, company, person, partnership, joint stock company, or association. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • 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.
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. Source: OCC
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Year: means calendar year. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(b) Any person who is damaged by any violation of KRS § 367.801 to KRS § 367.819, or by the offeror’s breach of contract for the business opportunity sale, or of any obligation arising therefrom may bring an action against the bond or certificate of deposit to recover damages suffered, provided that the aggregate liability of the surety or trustee shall be only for the actual damages and shall not exceed the amount of the bond or trust account.
(3) A person who has furnished a bond described in subsection (2) of this section may petition the division for release of the bond by submitting a verified statement that such person has not offered business opportunities in the state for the last five (5) years.
(4) Any offeror of a business opportunity who has offered or sold in this state shall maintain a complete set of books, records, and accounts of its business opportunity sales. The sale documents shall be maintained on each transaction for a period of four (4) years after the date of agreement. The offeror shall make the books and records available to the division upon demand at a location within the state.
Effective: July 15, 1994.
History: Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 29, effective July 15, 1994; and ch. 329, sec. 5, effective July 15, 1994. — Created 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 315, sec. 8, effective June 17, 1978.
Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/94). This section was amended by 1994
Ky. Acts chs. 165 and 329 which are in conflict. Under KRS § 446.250, Acts ch. 329, which was last enacted by the General Assembly, prevails.