Ohio Attorney General Investigation of Your Business
If you or your business are currently under investigation by the Ohio Attorney General, then you need a lawyer. The Ohio Attorney General enforces Ohio's laws, such as consumer protection statutes, against businesses and individuals suspected of violating those laws. The Ohio Attorney General can investigate an alleged violation of Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act on its own or as a result of complaints filed against the business by affected individuals. (See Ohio Rev. Code 1345.06). The Ohio Attorney General can informally request documentation, information, or an interview. The Ohio Attorney General can also forcibly obtain such documentation or an interview through the use of a subpoena. The repercussions for failing to cooperate or comply with an Ohio Attorney General investigation can be quite severe.What Can The Ohio Attorney General Do To My Business If It Finds A Violation Of Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act?
Ohio Rev. Code 1345.07 gives the Ohio Attorney General a number of options to deal with suspected violations of Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act. The Ohio Attorney General can bring a lawsuit against the business to obtain a judgment declaring that the business violated the Consumer Sales Practices Act ("CSPA"), they can obtain a restraining order or injunction against the business forcing a stop to the practice, and they can obtain a penalty of between $5,000 and $15,000 per day that the business commits the violation. To the extent that the business requires a license, the Attorney General's Office can cause the business license to be revoked.The Ohio Attorney General's Office can also seek to have a receiver appointed for the business. This means that whoever is currently running the business would be removed and a person appointed by the Court would step in and run the business. The options the Attorney General's Office has to deal with violations of Ohio's CSPA can be severe or even a virtual death sentence for the business.
