Credit SalesCredit Transactions Regarding Women
Section § 1812.30
This law ensures that nobody, whether married or single, is discriminated against when applying for credit in their own name. It mandates that both married and unmarried people should be treated equally and receive the same terms if they have similar financial standings. In addition, credit reporting agencies must handle joint accounts in a way that allows both people involved to access their credit history independently. The law allows evaluations of financial reliability, but those must be applied universally, regardless of gender or marital status.
It also clarifies what counts as earnings, including support payments and benefits, and ensures that credit applicants are informed they can apply for credit individually, even if married.
Section § 1812.31
If someone breaks the rules in Section 1812.30, they have to pay the person they wronged for any actual losses. They might also have to pay extra money as a punishment, but this extra can't be more than $10,000, and this is only for individual cases, not group lawsuits. In a group lawsuit, the extra money might be different, but the total can't be more than $100,000 or 1% of the wrongdoer's net worth, whichever is smaller. The court will decide on the amount, considering the harm done, how often the rules were broken, the wrongdoer's wealth, how many people were affected, and whether the breaking of rules was done on purpose.
Section § 1812.32
If someone is breaking or planning to break a specific set of rules, a court can stop them by issuing an order called an injunction. This legal action can be taken by top government lawyers, like the Attorney General, or local lawyers such as district attorneys or city attorneys. It can also be started by someone who was denied credit or got an unfair credit offer based on these rules.
Section § 1812.33
If someone disobeys a court order issued under this chapter, they can be fined up to $2,500 for each day they violate it. This penalty can be enforced through a civil lawsuit led by the Attorney General or local attorneys. Legal actions to collect these penalties are given priority over most other court cases. The penalty money is divided differently depending on which official brings the lawsuit, with shares going to county or city treasuries and the state.
Section § 1812.34
If someone is wrongly denied credit or offered credit under unlawful terms, and they successfully sue based on specific rules, they can ask the court to cover their legal and attorney costs. The court must grant these costs if the case is won.
Section § 1812.35
If someone wants to take legal action because they were improperly denied credit or offered unlawful credit, they have two years from the date of that event to start their case.