Serious Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

The District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act allows a victimized consumer to seek numerous forms of relief. An injured party may obtain damages three times the amount of what the actual damages are or they could get $1,500 for each violation, whichever is greater. Accordingly, if for instance, there was a violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act that was ongoing or that was repeated, the term “each violation” might result in a $1,500 penalty per day that the act was violated. Alternatively, if there were significant damages, the law provides that those damages would be tripled. In addition, the law provides for the payment of attorney’s fees by the wrongdoer. Additionally, the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act permits the award of punitive damages, that is to say damages intended to punish the wrongdoer. The reason why these damages are permitted is because one of the purposes of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act is to encourage the best possible business practices and to deter bad business practices. In order to deter bad business practices, the District of Columbia permits damages intended to punish violators of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act to dissuade others from engaging in similar conduct. The law also permits somebody who was victimized by the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act to seek an injunction to stop the behavior that resulted in the violation from taking place again.

There are other remedies and relief available however, this is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Instead, it is recommended that you contact the lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, P.C. for assistance in the event you feel you may have been damaged and the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act was violated.

by Ira Sherman, Esq.