28-52-109. ENFORCEMENT. (1) Except as otherwise specified in this section, any credit reporting agency that willfully fails to comply with any requirement imposed under this chapter with respect to any consumer is liable to that consumer in an amount equal to the sum of:

(a) Any actual damages sustained by the consumer as a result of the failure or damages of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000); or

(b) Such amount of punitive damages as the court may allow; and

(c) In the case of any successful action to enforce any liability under this section, the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney’s fees as determined by the court.

(2) Any person who obtains a consumer report, requests a security freeze, requests the temporary lifting of a freeze or requests the removal of a security freeze from a consumer reporting agency under false pretenses or in an attempt to violate federal or state law shall be liable to the consumer reporting agency for actual damages sustained by the consumer reporting agency or one thousand dollars ($1,000), whichever is greater.

(3) Any credit reporting agency who is negligent in failing to comply with any requirement imposed under this chapter with respect to any consumer is liable to that consumer in an amount equal to the sum of:

(a) Any actual damages sustained by the consumer as a result of the failure; and

(b) In the case of any successful action to enforce any liability under this section, the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney’s fees as determined by the court.

(4) Upon a finding by the court that an unsuccessful pleading, motion or other paper filed in connection with an action under this chapter was filed in bad faith or for purposes of harassment, the court shall award to the prevailing party attorney’s fees reasonable in relation to the work expended in responding to the pleading, motion, or other paper.

(5) The attorney general may enforce this chapter’s provisions and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the attorney general has exclusive authority to bring an action against a credit reporting agency for violation of section 28-52-104(3)(b), Idaho Code, concerning the requirement that a credit reporting agency temporarily lift a freeze within fifteen (15) minutes. In an action by the attorney general, a credit reporting agency that violates this chapter’s provisions is subject to a civil penalty not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or greater than one thousand dollars ($1,000) for a violation or series of violations concerning a specific consumer and no greater than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in the aggregate for related violations concerning more than one (1) consumer. In addition to the penalties provided in this section, the attorney general may seek injunctive relief to prevent future violations of this chapter in the district court in Ada county or in the district court for the district in which a consumer resides who is the subject of a credit report on which a violation occurs.

History:

[28-52-109, added 2008, ch. 177, sec. 2, p. 528.]