The franchisor’s executive officer, representative, or agent of the franchisor who negotiates any contract in violation of this chapter or who otherwise coerces a franchisee in violation of this chapter shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for each offense. That penalty, reasonable attorney fees and costs of the suit shall be assessed and recovered in a civil action brought by the Attorney General or by any district attorney, county counsel, or city attorney in any court of competent jurisdiction. If brought by a district attorney or county counsel, the entire amount of the penalty shall be paid to the treasurer of the county in which the judgment was entered. If brought by the Attorney General, one-half of the penalty, attorney fees, and costs of the suit shall be paid to the treasurer of the county where the action was brought and one-half shall be paid to the State Treasurer. If brought by a city attorney, one-half of the penalty, attorney fees, and costs of the suit shall be paid to the treasurer of the county and one-half to the city.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 523, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2000.)