California Consumers Legal Remedies Act

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

California Consumers Legal Remedies Act (CLRA)

Overview
The CLRA is California Civil Code parts 1750 and following. It protects consumers by banning unfair or deceptive acts in the sale or lease of goods or services to consumers.

What is forbidden
The act covers many tricks sellers might use. Examples include:
- Misrepresenting where a product comes from
- Selling reconditioned or used items as new
- Advertising items as in stock when they aren’t available
- Saying repairs are needed when they are not
- Hiding hidden conditions in rebates
- Misrepresenting a salesperson’s authority to close a deal

What a consumer can do
If a business’s unlawful practice causes damage, a consumer can sue for actual damages and other relief. The law lets the court stop the behavior and order remedies.

What the court can order
- Damages for the consumer’s losses
- An order stopping the unlawful practices
- Restitution of money or property
- Punitive damages in appropriate cases
- Court costs and the consumer’s attorney’s fees
- Other relief the court considers proper

Who pays attorney’s fees
Typically, a prevailing plaintiff can recover attorney’s fees. A prevailing defendant usually cannot recover their attorney’s fees.