SB 1160

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.