SB 678

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 U.S. Constitution or 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 U.S. Constitution or 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 seven-year period.