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Penalties for post-fire price gouging in LA County just got a lot more expensive
L.A. County supervisors voted to raise maximum fines for rent gouging.
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Frederic J. Brown
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
The penalty for price gouging after the fires in Los Angeles County just got a lot more expensive.
The new max fine: The L.A. County Board Supervisors voted Tuesday to increase the maximum fine from $10,000 to $50,000 for illegally raising prices and rents by more than 10% in the wake of last month’s fires.
The background: Both state and local law prevent price gouging after a disaster. Prosecutors have already filed at least three criminal cases against landlords and real estate agents who allegedly raised rents above legal limits after the fires, in one case allegedly by more than 50%. Crowd-sourcing efforts have identified more than a thousand online listings that appear to have broken the law.
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The change: Supervisors say they hope increasing the fines will do more to deter others from engaging in price gouging. But landlord advocates have said many property owners still may be unaware of the law. The new $50,000 maximum fine takes effect immediately.
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