(a) Subject to the requirements of Section 1097.1, the Commission may file a civil action for an alleged violation of Section 1090. A person held liable for such a violation shall be subject to a civil fine payable to the Commission for deposit in the General Fund of the state in an amount not to exceed the greater of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or three times the value of the financial benefit received by the defendant for each violation.
(b) The Commission shall not commence a civil action pursuant to this section alleging a violation of Section 1090 if the Commission has commenced an administrative action pursuant to Section 1097.1 against the person for the same violation.
(c) A civil action brought by the Commission pursuant to this section shall not be filed more than four years after the date the violation occurred.
(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 650, Sec. 4. (AB 1090) Effective January 1, 2014.)