AB 318

This bill creates a mechanism whereby the attorney general may bring a civil

action in the name of the state when there is cause to believe that certain civil rights

violations have occurred. Under the bill, the attorney general has authority to

investigate potential violations and may bring a civil action when there is reasonable

cause to believe that either: 1) A person has engaged in a pattern or practice of

conduct that violates any of the rights secured by the United States Constitution or

by the Wisconsin Constitution, or any right secured by the laws of Wisconsin relating

to housing, employment, education, or public accommodations; or 2) A person has

been denied a right secured by the United States Constitution or by the Wisconsin

Constitution, or a right secured by the laws of Wisconsin relating to housing,

employment, education, or public accommodations, and that denial raises an issue

of general public importance.

Under the bill, in such an action, a court may award injunctive relief and other

appropriate relief, including court costs, reasonable attorney fees, and damages,

and, to vindicate the public interest, assess a civil forfeiture against the defendant

of up to $50,000 for a first violation and up to $100,000 for each subsequent violation

committed within a 7-year period.