Rhode Island § 6-48-7 - Consumer Empowerment and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2006

§ 6-48-7. Violations; Penalties.

(a) Any person who 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:

(1) 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

(2) Such amount of punitive damages as the court allows; and

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

(b) Any person who obtains a consumer report, requests a security freeze, requests the temporary lift of a freeze, or 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.

(c) Any person 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:

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

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

(d) 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 the purposes of harassment, the court shall award to the prevailing party attorneys’ fees reasonable in relation to the work expended in responding to the pleading, motion, or other paper.