LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2457

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: FEBRUARY 24, 1997

      Assembly Bill No. 2457 of 1996 permits the State to recover reasonable costs of suits, including attorneys’ and filing fees, for successful actions brought by the Attorney General under the consumer fraud law. Under current law, the court may award costs of suit to private litigants who successfully sue under the consumer fraud law, but not to the State.

      Information provided informally by the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety indicates that approximately $1,250,000 in costs would have been reimbursed to the State under this bill in the most recent year for which this information is available. This figure is comprised of approximately $750,000 for legal services provided by the Division of Law and approximately $500,000 in preliminary costs incurred by the Office of Administrative Law.

      The Office of Legislative Services observes that the volume of court-awarded reimbursements following enactment of this bill cannot be accurately estimated. However, if the State’s prosecutorial effort continues at its current level, reimbursements to the State may approximate current costs and increase with inflation in future years.

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.