Louisiana AG Murrill warns about hurricane price gouging
BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) -- With a potential hurricane on the way to Louisiana, Atty. Gen. Liz Murrill is warning businesses not to take advantage of the arrival of Francine by illegally hiking prices.
In a news release Tuesday, Murrill reminded businesses of the laws on the books regarding price gouging.
“While we usually see the best in people during a storm, sometimes we also see the worst in people. Price gouging is not only wrong, it’s also illegal," Murrill said. "My office will enforce the law to make sure no one is taken advantage of before, during and after Francine.”
Murrill said that "prices charged for goods or services sold cannot exceed the prices ordinarily charged for comparable goods or services in the same market area at and immediately before the state of emergency."
The law takes effect when a state of emergency is declared by the governor or a parish president.
The law is limited, however. According to Murrill, "the law allows companies to charge more for products and services when the difference in price is due to increased costs to the supplier or market trends unrelated to the disaster."
It also does not allow for individuals to sue businesses under the law. Only a district attorney, parish attorney or the attorney general are permitted to bring legal action, not the victim(s).
"We recommend that (victims) contact local law enforcement with complaints about price gouging," Murrill said. "We also recommend that they file a consumer dispute with our office through the Attorney General’s website at AGLizMurrill.com."
In addition to restitution, the law provides that "the offender shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned not more than six months, or both."