Bill Text: NY S00489 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Creates a private right of action for unlawful price gouging for injunctive relief and recovery of actual damages or $1000 whichever is greater, or both, in addition to right of action granted to attorney general; permits the court to award a prevailing plaintiff an additional penalty of up to $5,000 for a willful or knowing violation and reasonable attorney's fees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-06-20 - PRINT NUMBER 489A [S00489 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S00489-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 489--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 4, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SQUADRON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to price gouging The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 396-r of the general business law is amended by 2 adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows: 3 5. In addition to any right of action granted to the attorney general 4 pursuant to this section, any person who has been injured by reason of 5 any violation of this section may bring an action in his or her own name 6 to enjoin such unlawful act or practice, an action to recover his or her 7 compensatory damages or one thousand dollars, whichever is greater, or 8 both. The court may, in its discretion, award the prevailing plaintiff 9 in such action an additional award not to exceed five thousand dollars, 10 if the court finds the defendant willfully violated the provisions of 11 this section. The court may award reasonable attorneys' fees to a 12 prevailing plaintiff. The provisions of this subdivision shall not limit 13 the rights of an injured person under common law or any other law. 14 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03182-03-7