Alaska Consumer Protection Act
AS § 45.50.471, et seq.
Alaska Statutes
Title 45. Trade and Commerce
Chapter 50. Competitive Practices, Regulation of Competition, Consumer Protection
Article 3. Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection.
Sec. 45.50.470. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.471. Unlawful acts and practices.
Sec. 45.50.472. Junk telephone calls. [Repealed, § 5 ch 142 SLA 1996.]
Sec. 45.50.473. Disclosure of costs of certain telephone services.
Sec. 45.50.474. Required disclosures in promotions and shoreside sales on board cruise ships.
Sec. 45.50.475. Unlawful, unwanted telephone advertisements and solicitations.
Sec. 45.50.477. Use of titles relating to industrial hygiene.
Sec. 45.50.479. Limitation on electronic mail.
Sec. 45.50.480. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.481. Exemptions.
Sec. 45.50.490. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.491. Regulations.
Sec. 45.50.495. Investigative power of attorney general.
Sec. 45.50.500. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.501. Restraining prohibited acts.
Sec. 45.50.510. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.511. Assurances of voluntary compliance.
Sec. 45.50.521. When information and evidence confidential and nonadmissible.
Sec. 45.50.531. Private and class actions.
Sec. 45.50.535. Private injunctive relief.
Sec. 45.50.536. Mediation.
Sec. 45.50.537. Attorney fees, costs, and damages.
Sec. 45.50.541. Nonnegotiability of consumer paper.
Sec. 45.50.542. Provisions not waivable.
Sec. 45.50.545. Interpretation.
Sec. 45.50.551. Civil penalties.
Sec. 45.50.561. Definitions; short title.
Sec. 45.50.470. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.471. Unlawful acts and practices.
(a) Unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of trade or commerce are declared to be unlawful.
(b) The terms “unfair methods of competition” and “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” include the following acts:
(1) fraudulently conveying or transferring goods or services by representing them to be those of another;
(2) falsely representing or designating the geographic origin of goods or services;
(3) causing a likelihood of confusion or misunderstanding as to the source, sponsorship, or approval, or another person's affiliation, connection, or association with or certification of goods or services;
(4) representing that goods or services have sponsorship, approval, characteristics, ingredients, uses, benefits, or quantities that they do not have or that a person has a sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation, or connection that the person does not have;
(5) representing that goods are original or new if they are deteriorated, altered, reconditioned, reclaimed, used, secondhand, or seconds;
(6) representing that goods or services are of a particular standard, quality, or grade, or that goods are of a particular style or model, if they are of another;
(7) disparaging the goods, services, or business of another by false or misleading representation of fact;
(8) advertising goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised;
(9) advertising goods or services with intent not to supply reasonable expectable public demand, unless the advertisement prominently discloses a limitation of quantity;
(10) making false or misleading statements of fact concerning the reasons for, existence of, or amounts of price reductions;
(11) engaging in any other conduct creating a likelihood of confusion or of misunderstanding and that misleads, deceives, or damages a buyer or a competitor in connection with the sale or advertisement of goods or services;
(12) using or employing deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation, or knowingly concealing, suppressing, or omitting a material fact with intent that others rely upon the concealment, suppression, or omission in connection with the sale or advertisement of goods or services whether or not a person has in fact been misled, deceived, or damaged;
(13) failing to deliver to the customer at the time of an installment sale of goods or services, a written order, contract, or receipt setting out the name and address of the seller and the name and address of the organization that the seller represents, and all of the terms and conditions of the sale, including a description of the goods or services, which must be stated in readable, clear, and unambiguous language;
(14) representing that an agreement confers or involves rights, remedies, or obligations that it does not confer or involve, or that are prohibited by law;
(15) knowingly making false or misleading statements concerning the need for parts, replacement, or repair service;
(16) misrepresenting the authority of a salesman, representative, or agent to negotiate the final terms of a consumer transaction;
(17) basing a charge for repair in whole or in part on a guaranty or warranty rather than on the actual value of the actual repairs made or work to be performed on the item without stating separately the charges for the work and the charge for the guaranty or warranty, if any;
(18) disconnecting, turning back, or resetting the odometer of a vehicle to reduce the number of miles indicated;
(19) using a chain referral sales plan by inducing or attempting to induce a consumer to enter into a contract by offering a rebate, discount, commission, or other consideration, contingent upon the happening of a future event, on the condition that the consumer either sells, or gives information or assistance for the purpose of leading to a sale by the seller of the same or related goods;
(20) selling or offering to sell a right of participation in a chain distributor scheme;
(21) selling, falsely representing, or advertising meat, fish, or poultry that has been frozen as fresh food;
(22) failing to comply with AS 45.02.350;
(23) failing to comply with AS 45.45.130 — 45.45.240;
(24) counseling, consulting, or arranging for future services relating to the disposition of a body upon death whereby certain personal property, not including cemetery lots and markers, will be furnished or the professional services of a funeral director or embalmer will be furnished, unless the person receiving money or property deposits the money or property, and money or property is received, within five days of its receipt, in a trust in a financial institution whose deposits are insured by an instrumentality of the federal government designating the institution as the trustee as a separate trust in the name only of the person on whose behalf the arrangements are made with a provision that the money or property may only be applied to the purchase of designated merchandise or services and should the money or property deposited and any accrued interest not be used for the purposes intended on the death of the person on whose behalf the arrangements are made, all money or property in the trust shall become part of that person's estate; upon demand by the person on whose behalf the arrangements are made, all money or property in the trust, including accrued interest, shall be paid to that person; this paragraph does not prohibit the charging of a separate fee for consultation, counseling, or arrangement services if the fee is disclosed to the person making the arrangement; any arrangement under this paragraph that would constitute a contract of insurance under AS 21 is subject to the provisions of AS 21;
(25) failing to comply with the terms of AS 45.50.800 — 45.50.850 (Alaska Gasoline Products Leasing Act);
(26) failing to comply with AS 45.30 relating to mobile home warranties and mobile home parks;
(27) failing to comply with AS 14.48.060(b)(13);
(28) dealing in hearing aids and failing to comply with AS 08.55;
(29) violating AS 45.45.910(a), (b), or (c);
(30) failing to comply with AS 45.50.473;
(31) violating the provisions of AS 45.45.400;
(32) knowingly selling a reproduction of a piece of art or handicraft that was made by a resident of the state unless the reproduction is clearly labeled as a reproduction; in this paragraph, “reproduction” means a copy of an original if the copy is
(A) substantially the same as the original; and
(B) not made by the person who made the original;
(33) violating AS 08.66 (motor vehicle dealers);
(34) violating AS 08.66.260 — 08.66.350 (motor vehicle buyers” agents);
(35) violating AS 45.63 (solicitations by telephonic means);
(36) violating AS 45.68 (charitable solicitations);
(37) violating AS 45.50.474 (on board promotions);
(38) referring a person to a dentist or a dental practice that has paid or will pay a fee for the referral unless the person making the referral discloses at the time the referral is made that the dentist or dental practice has paid or will pay a fee based on the referral;
(39) advertising that a person can receive a referral to a dentist or a dental practice without disclosing in the advertising that the dentist or dental practice to which the person is referred has paid or will pay a fee based on the referral if, in fact, the dentist or dental practice to which the person is referred has paid or will pay a fee based on the referral;
(40) violating AS 45.50.477(a) — (c);
(41) failing to comply with AS 45.50.475;
(42) violating AS 45.35 (lease-purchase agreements);
(43) violating AS 45.25.400 — 45.25.590 (motor vehicle dealer practices);
(44) violating AS 45.66 (sale of business opportunities);
(45) violating AS 08.18.023(b) or 08.18.152;
(46) violating AS 45.50.479 (limitations on electronic mail);
(47) violating AS 17.06.010 (sale of, or offering to sell, organic food);
(48) violating a labeling or advertising provision of AS 17.20 (Alaska Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act);
(49) violating AS 45.45.920 (free trial period);
(50) violating AS 45.45.930 (opt-out marketing plans);
(51) violating AS 45.45.792 (deceptive acts or practices relating to spyware);
(52) violating AS 06.60.340 (mortgage lending regulation);
(53) offering a check, through the mail or by other means, to promote goods or services, if the cashing or deposit of the check obligates the endorser or payee identified on the check to pay for goods or services; in this paragraph, “services” does not include the extension of credit or the lending of money;
(54) violating AS 45.65.055 (authentic Alaska Native art identification seals);
(55) an information collector, other than a governmental agency, violating AS 45.48.010 — 45.48.090 (breach of security involving personal information); in this paragraph,
(A) “governmental agency” has the meaning given in AS 45.48.090;
(B) “information collector” has the meaning given in AS 45.48.090;
(56) violating AS 45.27 (marine products and motorized recreational products);
(57) violating AS 45.45.450 — 45.45.459 (rental car fees).
(c) The unlawful acts and practices listed in (b) of this section are in addition to and do not limit the types of unlawful acts and practices actionable at common law or under other state statutes.
(d) [Repealed, § 21 ch 166 SLA 1978.]
Sec. 45.50.472. Junk telephone calls. [Repealed, § 5 ch 142 SLA 1996.]
Sec. 45.50.473. Disclosure of costs of certain telephone services.
(a) A person may not provide an alternate operator service without disclosing to the consumer before a charge is incurred the cost of the service provided by the person and the identity of the person providing those services.
(b) The owner of a place where telephone business from consumers is aggregated, including a hotel, motel, hospital, and pay telephone other than a telephone utility regulated by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, shall disclose a surcharge added to the cost of local or long distance telephone service before the service is provided. Disclosure may be made by posting the amount of the surcharge on or near the telephone instruments subject to the surcharge or by other reasonable written or oral means.
(c) A violation of this section constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice under AS 45.50.471. It is presumed that actual damages to the consumer under AS 45.50.531(a) are equal to the cost of the service provided plus $200. Additional damages must be proved.
(d) In this section, “alternate operator service”
(1) means a connection to intrastate or interstate long-distance telecommunications facilities from a nonresidential location in the state including a hotel, motel, hospital, or customer-owned pay telephone, or from a place where business from consumers is aggregated, by a person that does not own any of the telecommunications facilities being connected through the service;
(2) does not include an intrastate or interstate long-distance carrier that contracts for operator services and charges rates for those services that are no greater than the rates charged by long-distance carriers regulated by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska or by the Federal Communications Commission.
Sec. 45.50.474. Required disclosures in promotions and shoreside sales on board cruise ships.
(a) A person may not conduct a promotion on board a cruise ship that mentions or features a business in a state port that has paid something of value for the purpose of having the business mentioned, featured, or otherwise promoted, unless the person conducting the promotion clearly and fully discloses in all written materials used in the promotion that the featured businesses have paid to be included in the promotion. If the value paid by the business is more than 10 percent of any single sale, the disclosure must also state that more than a 10 percent commission is being retained by the person making the promotion and that other alternatives may be available at a port of call; and the disclosure must provide the address, Internet website address, and telephone number of any existing visitors bureaus at each future port of call.
(b) A person or other entity aboard a cruise ship conducting or making a sale of tours, flightseeing operations, or other shoreside activities to be delivered by a vendor or other entity at a future port of call shall disclose, in writing at the point of sale,
(1) that the onboard sale is a retail-wholesale relationship between the cruise ship and the shoreside vendor that results in a percentage of the sale being retained by the cruise ship;
(2) that other alternatives at different prices and with different features may be available at a port of call;
(3) the address, Internet website address, and telephone number of the existing visitors bureaus at each future port of call; and
(4) if the amount of commission or percentage of the total sale retained or returned to the person or entity making or attempting to make the sale exceeds 20 percent of the total cost of the services or goods provided by a shoreside vendor, that more than 20 percent of the total sale price is being retained as a commission by the person or entity making the sale.
(c) A written notice of disclosure under (a) or (b) of this section must be in a type that is not less than 14-point typeface and in a contrasting color calculated to draw attention to the disclosure.
(d) Each violation of this section constitutes an unfair trade practice under AS 45.50.471.
(e) In this section, “cruise ship” means a ship that operates at least 48 hours in length for ticketed passengers, provides overnight accommodations and meals for at least 250 passengers, is operated by an authorized cruise ship operator, and is certified under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea or otherwise certified by the United States Coast Guard.
Sec. 45.50.475. Unlawful, unwanted telephone advertisements and solicitations.
(a) A person is in violation of AS 45.50.471(b)(41) if the person
(1) [Repealed, § 35 ch 55 SLA 2004.]
(2) engages in the telephone solicitation of a customer whose telephone number has been registered with the national do not call registry for the minimum amount of time required by the national do not call registry before the date the call is made;
(3) engages in the telephone solicitation of a customer who has previously communicated to the telephone solicitor, or to the business enterprise or charitable organization for which the person is calling, the customer's desire not to receive telephone solicitations to that number; or
(4) originates a telephone call using an automated or recorded message as a telephonic advertisement or a telephone solicitation.
(b) A local exchange telecommunications company and a company that provides a telephone directory on behalf of a local exchange telecommunications company shall provide for the identification in the telephone directory of those residential customers who do not wish to receive telephone solicitations. The local exchange telecommunications company may impose a reasonable charge for identification in the directory. The charge shall be based on the cost of providing the identification and is subject to the approval of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
(c) [Repealed, § 35 ch 55 SLA 2004.]
(d) A person who employs individuals to engage in telephone solicitations is not liable for a violation of (a)(1) — (3) of this section if the person establishes that
(1) the person has adopted and implemented written procedures and policies to comply with (a)(1) — (3) of this section, including corrective actions if appropriate;
(2) the person has trained its personnel in the procedures and policies established under (1) of this subsection;
(3) the call that violated (a)(1) — (3) of this section was made contrary to the procedures and policies established by the person; and
(4) the call that violated (a)(1) — (3) of this section was made as a result of a good faith error.
(e) An individual who solicits a telephone customer in violation of (a)(1) — (3) of this section is not liable for the violation if the individual establishes that the individual did not intend to make the call in violation of this section and did not recklessly disregard information or policies and procedures that would have avoided the improper call.
(f) Local exchange telecommunications companies shall inform customers of the provisions of this section. Notification shall be made by
(1) quarterly inserts in the billing statements mailed to customers; and
(2) clear and conspicuous publication of the notice in the consumer information pages of local telephone directories.
(g) In this section,
(1) “charitable organization” has the meaning given in AS 45.68.900;
(2) “customer” means a telephone customer of a telecommunications company;
(3) “national do not call registry” means the data base of telephone numbers of customers who do not wish to receive telephone solicitations established and maintained by the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission;
(4) “telephone solicitation”
(A) means the solicitation by a person by telephone of a customer at the residence of the customer or on a customer's cellular or mobile telephone for the purpose of encouraging the customer to purchase property, goods, or services, or make a donation;
(B) does not include
(i) calls made in response to a request or inquiry by the called customer or communication made during a call made by the customer;
(ii) calls made by a charitable organization or volunteers on behalf of the charitable organization to a member of the organization or to a person who, within the last 18 months, has made a donation to the organization or expressed an interest in making a donation, but only if the charitable organization has not received a request from the member or person asking that the telephone solicitations cease;
(iii) calls limited to soliciting the expression of ideas, opinions, or votes;
(iv) business-to-business calls; or
(v) a person soliciting business from prospective purchasers who have, within the last 18 months, purchased from the person making the solicitation or from the business enterprise for which the person is calling but only if the person or business enterprise has not received a request from the prospective purchaser asking that telephone solicitations cease; the person or business enterprise is presumed to have received a written request no later than 10 days after the prospective purchaser mailed it, properly addressed and with the appropriate postage.
Sec. 45.50.477. Use of titles relating to industrial hygiene.
(a) A person may not use the title “industrial hygienist,” the initials “I.H.,” another term that includes the phrase “industrial hygiene” or similar words, or represent to the public that the person is an industrial hygienist, unless the person has a baccalaureate or graduate degree in industrial hygiene, biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, or a closely related physical or biological science from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accreditation association recognized by the Council on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation, or a degree based on equivalent academic training, and has acquired competence in industrial hygiene through special studies or work experience sufficient to provide the person with the ability and competence to
(1) anticipate and recognize the environmental factors and stresses associated with work and work operations and to understand their effects on people and their well-being;
(2) evaluate, on the basis of training and demonstrated work experience and with the aid of quantitative measurement techniques, the magnitude of the factors and stresses identified under (1) of this subsection in terms of their ability to impair human health and well-being; and
(3) prescribe methods to prevent, eliminate, control, or reduce the factors and stresses identified under (a) of this subsection when necessary to alleviate their effects.
(b) A person may not use the title “industrial hygienist in training,” the initials “I.H.I.T.,” another term involving the phrase “industrial hygienist in training” or a variation of those words, or represent to the public that the person is an industrial hygienist in training, unless the person is certified as an industrial hygienist in training by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.
(c) A person may not use the title “certified industrial hygienist,” the initials “C.I.H.,” another term involving the phrase “certified industrial hygienist” or a variation of those words, or represent to the public that the person is a certified industrial hygienist unless the person is certified as a certified industrial hygienist by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.
(d) A state or local government agency may not prohibit or restrict the practice of industrial hygiene by a qualified individual who complies with this section except to the extent that a state statute allows the agency to regulate a specific activity that may be included in the practice of industrial hygiene.
(e) In this section, “industrial hygiene” means the science and practice devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors and stresses arising in or from the workplace that may cause illness, impaired health or well-being, or significant discomfort among workers and may also affect persons outside the workplace.
Sec. 45.50.479. Limitation on electronic mail.
(a) A person may not send unsolicited commercial electronic mail to another person from a computer located in this state or to an electronic mail address that the sender knows is held by a resident of this state if the commercial electronic mail contains information that consists of explicit sexual material that another law provides may only be viewed, purchased, rented, leased, or held by an individual who is 18 years of age or older, unless the subject line of the advertisement contains “ADV:ADLT” as the first eight characters.
(b) In (a) of this section,
(1) “commercial electronic mail” means electronic mail consisting of advertising material for the lease, sale, rental, gift, offer, or other disposition of real property, goods, or services, including an extension of credit;
(2) “explicit sexual material” means material that visually or aurally depicts conduct described in AS 11.41.455(a), but is not limited to conduct engaged in by a child under 18 years of age;
(3) “unsolicited commercial electronic mail” means commercial electronic mail sent to a person who
(A) does not have an existing personal or business relationship with the sender; and
(B) has not given permission for or requested the sending of the commercial electronic mail.
Sec. 45.50.480. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.481. Exemptions.
(a) Nothing in AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561 applies to
(1) an act or transaction regulated by a statute or regulation administered by the state, including a state regulatory board or commission, unless the statute or regulation does not prohibit the practices declared unlawful in AS 45.50.471;
(2) an act done by the publisher, owner, agent, or employee of a newspaper, periodical, or radio or television station in the publication or dissemination of an advertisement, when the owner, agent, or employee did not have knowledge of the false, misleading, or deceptive character of the advertisement or did not have a direct financial interest in the sale or distribution of the advertised product or service;
(3) an act or transaction regulated under AS 21.36 or AS 06.05 or a regulation adopted under the authority of those chapters.
(b) The exemption in (a)(3) of this section does not apply to an act or transaction between a bank and its borrowers, depositors, or other customers or potential customers.
(c) The exemption in (a)(1) of this section does not apply to an act or transaction listed in AS 45.50.471(b) or regulated under AS 06.60.
Sec. 45.50.490. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.491. Regulations.
The attorney general, in accordance with AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), may adopt regulations interpreting and forms necessary for administering the provisions of AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561.
Sec. 45.50.495. Investigative power of attorney general.
(a) If the attorney general has cause to believe that a person has engaged in, is engaging in, or is about to engage in a deceptive trade practice under AS 45.50.471, the attorney general may
(1) request the person to file a statement or report in writing, under oath, on forms prescribed by the attorney general, setting out all facts and circumstances concerning the sale or advertisement of property by the person, and other information considered necessary;
(2) examine under oath any person in connection with the sale or advertisement of property;
(3) examine property or sample of the property, record, book, document, account, or paper that the attorney general considers necessary;
(4) make true copies of records, books, documents, accounts, or papers examined under (3) of this subsection, which may be offered in evidence in place of the originals in actions brought under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561; and
(5) under an order of the superior court, impound samples of property that are material to the investigation and retain the sample until proceedings undertaken under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561 are completed.
(b) The attorney general, in addition to other powers conferred by this section, may issue subpoenas to require the attendance of witnesses or the production of documents or other physical evidence, administer oaths, and conduct hearings to aid an investigation or inquiry. Service of an order or subpoena shall be made in the same manner as a summons in a civil action in the superior court.
Sec. 45.50.500. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.501. Restraining prohibited acts.
(a) When the attorney general has reason to believe that a person has used, is using, or is about to use an act or practice declared unlawful in AS 45.50.471, and that proceedings would be in the public interest, the attorney general may bring an action in the name of the state against the person to restrain by injunction the use of the act or practice. The action may be brought in the superior court in the judicial district in which the person resides or is doing business or has the person's principal place of business in the state, or, with the consent of the parties, in any other judicial district in the state.
(b) The court may make additional orders or judgments that are necessary to restore to any person in interest any money or property, real or personal, which may have been acquired by means of an act or practice declared to be unlawful by AS 45.50.471.
Sec. 45.50.510. [Repealed, § 1 ch 246 SLA 1970.]
Sec. 45.50.511. Assurances of voluntary compliance.
In the administration of AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561, the attorney general may accept an assurance of voluntary compliance with respect to any act or practice considered to be violative of AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561 from a person who has engaged or was about to engage in such an act or practice. The assurance shall be in writing and shall be filed with and is subject to the approval of the superior court in the judicial district in which the alleged violator resides or is doing business or has the principal place of business in the state. The assurance of voluntary compliance is not considered an admission of violation for any purpose. Matters closed in this way may at any time be reopened by the attorney general for further proceedings in the public interest, under AS 45.50.501.
Sec. 45.50.521. When information and evidence confidential and nonadmissible.
(a) [Repealed by § 6 ch 53 SLA 1974.]
(b) Subject to the provisions of AS 45.50.501(a), the attorney general may not make public the name of a person alleged to have committed an act or practice declared unlawful in AS 45.50.471 during an investigation conducted by the attorney general under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561, nor are the records of investigation or intelligence information of the attorney general obtained under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561 considered public records available for inspection by the general public. However, the attorney general is not prevented from issuing public statements describing or warning of a course of conduct or a conspiracy that constitutes or will constitute an unlawful act or practice, whether on a local, state, regional, or national basis.
Sec. 45.50.531. Private and class actions.
(a) A person who suffers an ascertainable loss of money or property as a result of another person's act or practice declared unlawful by AS 45.50.471 may bring a civil action to recover for each unlawful act or practice three times the actual damages or $500, whichever is greater. The court may provide other relief it considers necessary and proper. Nothing in this subsection prevents a person who brings an action under this subsection from pursuing other remedies available under other law, including common law.
(b) [Repealed, § 4 ch 31 SLA 1987.]
(c) Upon commencement of an action brought under this section the clerk of the court shall mail a copy of the complaint or other initial pleading to the attorney general and, upon entry of an order or judgment in the action, shall mail a copy of the order or judgment to the attorney general.
(d) [Repealed, § 4 ch 31 SLA 1987.]
(e) A permanent injunction or final judgment against a person against whom an action was initiated under AS 45.50.501 is prima facie evidence in an action brought under this section that the person used or employed an act or practice declared unlawful by AS 45.50.471.
(f) A person may not commence an action under this section more than two years after the person discovers or reasonably should have discovered that the loss resulted from an act or practice declared unlawful by AS 45.50.471.
(g) [Repealed, § 6 ch 96 SLA 1998.]
(h) If the basis for the action is the fault of the manufacturer or supplier of the merchandise, the manufacturer or supplier who is at fault is liable for the damages awarded against the retailer under this section.
(i) If a person receives an award of punitive damages under (a) of this section, the court shall require that 50 percent of the award be deposited into the general fund of the state under AS 09.17.020(j). This subsection does not grant the state the right to file or join a civil action to recover punitive damages.
Sec. 45.50.535. Private injunctive relief.
(a) Subject to (b) of this section and in addition to any right to bring an action under AS 45.50.531 or other law, any person who was the victim of the unlawful act, whether or not the person suffered actual damages, may bring an action to obtain an injunction prohibiting a seller or lessor from continuing to engage in an act or practice declared unlawful under AS 45.50.471.
(b) A person may not bring an action under (a) of this section unless
(1) the person first provides written notice to the seller or lessor who engaged in the unlawful act or practice that the person will seek an injunction against the seller or lessor if the seller or lessor fails to promptly stop the unlawful act or practice; and
(2) the seller or lessor fails to promptly stop the unlawful act or practice after receiving the notice.
Sec. 45.50.536. Mediation.
Notwithstanding the other provisions of AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561, a civil action under AS 45.50.531 or 45.50.535 may be submitted to mediation under the Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure. The mediation must begin within 30 days after the court's order for mediation. During mediation, the court may, if it is determined appropriate by the court, enjoin the defendant from engaging in the act or practice that is the subject of the civil action.
Sec. 45.50.537. Attorney fees, costs, and damages.
(a) In an action brought by a private person under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561, a prevailing plaintiff shall be awarded costs as provided by court rule and full reasonable attorney fees at the prevailing reasonable rate.
(b) Unless the action is found to be frivolous, in an action brought by a private person under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561, a prevailing defendant shall be awarded attorney fees and costs as provided by court rule. If the action is found to be frivolous, the attorney fees to be awarded to the defendant shall be full reasonable attorney fees at the prevailing reasonable rate.
(c) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, in an action brought by a private person under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561, if the plaintiff is not the prevailing party and if the court finds that the action was brought by the plaintiff to obtain a competitive business advantage, the court shall award a prevailing defendant costs as provided by court rule, full reasonable attorney fees at the prevailing reasonable rate, and any damages suffered by the prevailing defendant as a result of the plaintiff's allegations.
(d) In an action brought by the attorney general under AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561, if the attorney general prevails, the state shall be awarded its actual attorney fees and costs, including costs of investigation, to the extent those fees and costs are reasonable.
(e) In this section, “frivolous” means
(1) not reasonably based on evidence or on existing law or a reasonable extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; or
(2) brought to harass the defendant or to cause unnecessary delay or needless expense.
Sec. 45.50.541. Nonnegotiability of consumer paper.
(a) If a contract for sale or lease of consumer goods or services on credit entered into between a retail seller and a retail buyer requires or involves the execution of a promissory note or instrument or other evidence of indebtedness of the buyer, the note, instrument, or evidence of indebtedness shall have printed on its face the words “consumer paper,” and the note, instrument, or evidence of indebtedness with the words “consumer paper” printed on it is not a negotiable instrument, within the meaning of AS 45.01 — AS 45.08, AS 45.12, AS 45.14, and AS 45.29 (Uniform Commercial Code).
(b) Notwithstanding the absence of such a notice on a note, instrument, or evidence of indebtedness arising out of a consumer credit sale or consumer lease as described in this section, an assignee of the rights of the seller or lessor is subject to all claims and defenses of the buyer or lessee against the seller or lessor arising out of the sale or lease. An agreement to the contrary has no effect in limiting the rights of a consumer.
(c) The assignee's liability under this section may not exceed the amount owing to the assignee at the time the claim or defense is asserted against the assignee.
Sec. 45.50.542. Provisions not waivable.
A waiver by a consumer of the provisions of AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561 is contrary to public policy and is unenforceable and void.
Sec. 45.50.545. Interpretation.
In interpreting AS 45.50.471 due consideration and great weight should be given the interpretations of 15 U.S.C. 45(a)(1) (§ 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act).
Sec. 45.50.551. Civil penalties.
(a) A person who violates the terms of an injunction or restraining order issued under AS 45.50.501 shall forfeit and pay to the state a civil penalty of not more than $50,000 for each violation. For the purposes of this section, the superior court in a judicial district issuing an injunction retains jurisdiction, and, in these cases, the attorney general acting in the name of the state may petition for recovery of the penalties.
(b) In an action brought under AS 45.50.501, if the court finds that a person is using or has used an act or practice declared unlawful by AS 45.50.471, the attorney general, upon petition to the court, may recover, on behalf of the state, a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 and not more than $25,000 for each violation.
(c) [Repealed by § 21 ch 166 SLA 1978.]
Sec. 45.50.561. Definitions; short title.
(a) In AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561
(1) “advertising” includes the attempt directly or indirectly by publication, dissemination, solicitation, endorsement, or circulation, display in any manner, including solicitation or dissemination by mail, telephone or door-to-door contacts, or in any other way, to induce directly or indirectly a person to enter or not enter into an obligation or acquire title or interest in any merchandise or to increase the consumption of it or to make a loan;
(2) “cemetery lot” means a lot, plot, space, grave, niche, mausoleum, crypt, vault, or columbarium, used or intended to be used for the interment of human remains;
(3) “chain distributor scheme” means a sales device whereby a person, upon condition that the person make an investment, is granted a license or right to solicit or recruit for profit one or more additional persons who are also granted a license or right upon condition of making an investment and may further perpetuate the chain of persons who are granted a license or right upon the condition of investment; a limitation as to the number of persons who may participate, or the presence of additional conditions affecting eligibility for the license or right to solicit or recruit or the receipt of profit from these does not change the identity of the scheme as a chain distributor scheme; as used in this paragraph, “investment” means acquisition, for a consideration other than personal services, of tangible or intangible property, and includes franchises, business opportunities, and services; “investment” does not include sales demonstration equipment and materials furnished at cost for use in making sales and not for resale;
(4) “consumer” means a person who seeks or acquires goods or services by lease or purchase;
(5) “dealing in hearing aids” has the meaning given in AS 08.55.200;
(6) “documentary material” means the original or a copy of a book, record, report, memorandum, paper, communication, tabulation, map, chart, photograph, mechanical transcription, or other tangible document or recording, wherever situate;
(7) “examination” of documentary material includes the inspection, study, or copying of the material, and the taking of testimony under oath or acknowledgment in respect of documentary material or copy of it;
(8) “fresh” means a condition of food that has never been frozen;
(9) “goods or services” includes goods or services provided in connection with a consumer credit transaction or with a transaction involving an indebtedness secured by the borrower's residence;
(10) “hearing aid” has the meaning given in AS 08.55.200;
(11) “knowingly” means actual awareness of the falsity or deception, but actual awareness may be inferred where objective manifestations indicate that a person acted with actual awareness;
(12) “seconds” means manufactured items having flaws or consisting of a standard quantity or quality less than the manufacturer's quality standard.
(b) AS 45.50.471 — 45.50.561 may be cited as the Alaska Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act.
For more information, see here: http://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp#45.50.477
AND
https://www.law.alaska.gov/consumer/4550471.html
AND
https://www.law.alaska.gov/department/civil/consumer/4550471.html
These materials were obtained directly from the State Legislative websites and are posted here for your review and reference only. No Claim to Original State Government Works. This may not be the most recent version. The State may have more current information. We make no guarantees or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of this information, or the information linked to. Please check the linked sources directly.