44-1020. Same; subpoenas; witness fees and mileage; interim judicial relief; criminal enforcement of subpoenas. (a) Upon written application to the commission, a respondent shall be entitled to the issuance of a reasonable number of subpoenas by and in the name of the commission to the same extent and subject to the same limitations as subpoenas issued by the commission. Subpoenas issued at the request of a respondent shall show on their face the name and address of such respondent and shall state that they were issued at respondent's request.

(b) Witnesses summoned by subpoena of the commission shall be entitled to the same witness and mileage fees as are allowed witnesses in proceedings in district courts. Fees payable to a witness summoned by a subpoena issued at the request of a respondent shall be paid by the respondent.

(c) If the commission concludes at any time following the filing of a complaint that prompt judicial action is necessary to carry out the purposes of this act, the commission may bring a civil action in the district court of the county in which the alleged discriminatory housing practice is alleged to have occurred, for appropriate temporary or preliminary relief pending final disposition of the complaint under this section. The commission shall promptly notify the attorney general of the filing of any action pursuant to this subsection. Any temporary restraining order or other order granting preliminary or temporary relief shall be issued in accordance with the rules of civil procedure. The commencement of a civil action under this subsection does not affect the initiation or continuation of administrative proceedings under this act.

(d) Any person who willfully fails or neglects to attend and testify or to answer any lawful inquiry or to produce records, documents or other evidence, if in such person's power to do so in obedience to the subpoena or lawful order of the commission, shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment. Any person who, with intent thereby to mislead the commission, shall make or cause to be made any false entry or statement of fact in any report, account, record or other document, submitted to the commission pursuant to subpoena or other order of the commission, or who shall willfully neglect or fail to make or cause to be made full, true and correct entries in such reports, accounts, records or other documents, or who shall willfully mutilate, alter or by any other means falsify any documentary evidence, shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.

History: L. 1970, ch. 193, § 6; L. 1972, ch. 194, § 11; L. 1991, ch. 147, § 12; Jan. 1, 1992.