Indiana

Indiana Attorney General’s Office
Consumer Protection Division
302 W. Washington St., 5^th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6330/(800) 382-5516
http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2336.htm

To file a complaint online, click here.

Indiana’s Laws

Here’s a snapshot of Indiana’s laws regarding deceptive advertising:

Indiana Code § 24-5-0.5-3: Lists a number of acts that are deemed deceptive trade practices, including, but not limited to, making misrepresentations about goods or services in connection with consumer transactions.

Indiana Code § 35-43-5-3: Lists a number of activities that fall under the misdemeanor crime of deception, including, but not limited to, distributing to the public an advertisement that is known to be false, misleading, or deceptive.

Possible Penalties

Some of the penalties that fraudulent or deceptive advertisers may suffer in Indiana include:

• Actual damages or $500, whichever is greater (Indiana Code § 24-5-0.5-4);

• If the advertiser acted willfully, three times the amount of actual damages or $1,000, whichever is greater (Indiana Code § 24-5-0.5-4);

• The cost of reasonable attorney’s fees of the person suing, if that person wins the lawsuit (Indiana Code § 24-5-0.5-4);

• Injunction (Indiana Code § 24-5-0.5-4);

• Up to $15,000 per violation of an injunction (Indiana Code § 24-5-0.5-4).

Small Claims Court in Indiana

If you’re not trying to recover big bucks, but rather just trying to recoup the money you spent on a product or service after being duped by a false ad, then you might consider filing a lawsuit in Small Claims Court.

For general info about filing a lawsuit in Small Claims Court, click here.

For info on how to file a Small Claims lawsuit in Indiana, click here.

Researching Consumer Complaints

To obtain copies of complaints consumers have filed against a business, you can send a Freedom of Information request to:

Indiana Attorney General
Public Information Officer
200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

A sample Freedom of Information request can be found here.