The bureau may, upon its own motion, and shall, upon the verified complaint in writing of any person, investigate the actions of any person engaged in the business or acting in the capacity of a cemetery licensee, and may temporarily suspend or permanently revoke a license at any time where the licensee, within the immediately preceding three years, while a cemetery licensee in performing or attempting to perform any of the acts specified in this act, has been guilty of any of the following:

(a) Making any substantial misrepresentation.

(b) Making any false statement of a character likely to influence or persuade.

(c) A continued and flagrant course of misrepresentation or making of false promises through cemetery agents or salespersons.

(d) Acting for more than one party in a transaction without the knowledge or consent of all parties thereto.

(e) Commingling the money or other property of his or her principal with his or her own.

(f) The practice of claiming or demanding a fee, compensation, or commission under any exclusive agreement authorizing or employing a licensee to sell, buy, or exchange cemetery property for compensation or commission where such agreement does not contain a definite, specified date of final and complete termination.

(g) The claiming or taking by a licensee of any secret or undisclosed amount of compensation, commission, or profit or the failure of a licensee to reveal to the employer of such licensee the full amount of such licensee’s compensation, commission, or profit under any agreement authorizing or employing such licensee to sell, buy, or exchange cemetery property for compensation or commission prior to or coincident with the signing of such agreement evidencing the meeting of the minds of the contracting parties, regardless of the form of such agreement, whether evidenced by documents in an escrow or by any other or different procedure.

(h) The use by a licensee of any provision allowing the licensee an option to purchase in an agreement authorizing or employing such licensee to sell, buy, or exchange cemetery property for compensation or commission, except when such licensee prior to or coincident with election to exercise such option to purchase reveals in writing to the employer the full amount of the licensee’s profit and obtains the written consent of the employer approving the amount of such profit.

(i) Any other conduct, whether of the same or a different character than specified in this section, which constitutes fraud or dishonest dealing.

(j) The misrepresentations and false statements mentioned in this section also include misrepresentation and false statements as to other property than that which the cemetery licensee may be selling or attempting to sell.

(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 395, Sec. 24. (AB 180) Effective January 1, 2016.)