§ 2458 - Restraining prohibited acts
§ 2458. Restraining prohibited acts
(a) Whenever the attorney general or a state's attorney has reason to believe that any person is using or is about to use any method, act or practice declared by section 2453 of this title to be unlawful, or has reason to believe that any person has violated any assurance of discontinuance entered into pursuant to section 2459 of this title, and that proceedings would be in the public interest, the attorney general, or a state's attorney if authorized to proceed by the attorney general, may bring an action in the name of the state against such person to restrain by temporary or permanent injunction the use of such method, act or practice or to dissolve a domestic corporation or revoke the certificate of authority granted a foreign corporation. The action may be brought in the superior court of the county in which such person resides, has a place of business or is doing business. Said courts are authorized to issue temporary or permanent injunctions to restrain and prevent violations of this chapter, such injunctions to be issued without bonds, and so to dissolve, or revoke the certificate of authority of, a corporation.
(b) In addition to the foregoing, the attorney general or a state's attorney may request and the court is authorized to render any other temporary or permanent relief, or both, as may be in the public interest including, but not limited to:
(1) the imposition of a civil penalty of not more than $10,000.00 for each violation;
(2) an order for restitution of cash or goods on behalf of a consumer or a class of consumers similarly situated;
(3) an order requiring reimbursement to the state of Vermont for the reasonable value of its services and its expenses in investigating and prosecuting the action;
(4) amounts other than consumer restitution recovered by the attorney general or department of state's attorneys under this chapter, subject to appropriation each fiscal year, shall be available to the attorney general or department of state's attorneys, respectively to offset the costs of providing legal services.
(c) Whenever a state's attorney brings an action pursuant to this section, a copy of any pleadings shall be served on the attorney general pursuant to Rule 5 of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure. Failure to comply with this provision shall not affect the validity of the proceedings commenced under this section. (Added 1967, No. 132, § 1, eff. April 17, 1967; amended 1969, No. 45, § 4, eff. April 4, 1969; 1971, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1973, No. 110, § 2; 1973, No. 193 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 9, 1974; 1999, No. 49, § 213.)