A $10,000 fine and possible jail time will be imposed for price gouging in San Diego

A $10,000 fine and possible jail time will be imposed for price gouging in San Diego

On March 9, The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said that it will prosecute businesses that are raising prices unnecessarily during the coronavirus state of emergency with a $10,000 fine and possible jail time.

The Times of San Diego wrote that “overcharging for essential goods or services by more than 10% is illegal unless the business can show their own costs have increased, according to the District Attorney’s Office”.

The price gouging statute applies to food, drink, emergency supplies and medical supplies. Penalties can be of up to one year in county jail or a fine of up to $10,000, as well as civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency in California on March 4 as part of the response to address the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. This was to “make additional resources available, formalize emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and help the state prepare for a broader spread of COVID-19,” the government of California communicated.

The governor also stated that hotels and motels are prohibited from raising rates by more than 10% also for a period of 30 days, which corresponds to the State of Emergency.

If you suspect of price gouging, you can report this to the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit at 619-531-3507 or the Attorney General’s Office. 

At Kannan Law, we can help you with questions regarding immigration and how this may be affected because of the coronavirus outbreak. Contact us in San Diego, California today. We are ready to answer your questions at Kannan Law.