Each state generally has some type of consumer protection or trade protection law that seeks to prohibit and punish unfair conduct and deceptive acts in trade or commerce. Most states, including Connecticut, model their laws after section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Section 5 of the FTC Act prohibits unfair or deceptive acts and unfair competition in the marketplace.
Connecticut's Unfair Trade Practices Act (commonly referred to as CUTPA by attorneys and judges), is codified at Connecticut General Statutes section 42-110b. CUTPA states, in relevant part, that:
(a) No person shall engage in unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce.
(b) It is the intent of the legislature that . . . the courts of this state shall be guided by interpretations given by the Federal Trade Commission and the federal courts to Section 5 . . . .
(c) The commissioner may . . .establish by regulation acts, practices or methods which shall be deemed to be unfair or deceptive. . . Such regulations shall not be inconsistent with the rules, regulations and decisions of the federal trade commission and the federal courts . . .
(d) It is the intention of the legislature that this chapter be remedial and be so construed.
CUTPA's provisions can be far reaching for businesses and consumers. For example, under section 42-110g, attorneys who successfully prove a CUTPA violation in Connecticut business litigation may be able to recover attorneys fees, punitive damages, and costs for their clients. CUTPA's provisions also provide for the ability of attorneys to bring class action lawsuits in Connecticut for unfair or deceptive acts. Additionally, courts can order injunctive relief or other equitable remedies for CUTPA violations.
CUTPA's provisions may be enforced by the various State's Attorneys and the Attorney General, such as the AG's recent lawsuit against Net Health over its loss or exposure of personal identifiers (date of birth, social security number) of Connecticut residents. Private citizens and businesses may also bring actions for unfair competition or deceptive acts under CUTPA, including class action lawsuits such as the recent case against AT&T over Internet access.
To establish a violation of CUTPA, attorneys in Connecticut have to prove that their clients suffered "any ascertainable loss of money or property, real or personal, as a result of the use or employment of a method, act or practice prohibited by section 42-110g. . ." Generally speaking, this requirement means Connecticut attorneys have to show that their clients sustained damages as a result of an unfair or deceptive act in trade or commerce.
To determine what constitutes an unfair or deceptive act, Connecticut courts specifically refer back to the Federal Trade Commission and what is commonly referred to as the "cigarette rule." The cigarette rule defines what type of conduct may qualify as unfair and deceptive justifying an award of compensatory or punitive damages. This rule dates back to 1964 and comes from legislative policy making by the Federal Trade Commission concerning requirements for warning labels on cigarette packages.
The three prongs of the cigarette rule are as follows:
- whether the practice, without necessarily having been previously considered unlawful, offends public policy as it has been established by statutes, the common law, or otherwise-in other words, it is within at least the penumbra of some common law, statutory, or other established concept of unfairness;
- whether it is immoral, unethical, oppressive, or unscrupulous;
- whether it causes substantial injury to consumers, [competitors or other business persons]. . . .
All three criteria do not need to be satisfied to support a finding of unfairness. A practice may be unfair because of the degree to which it meets one of the criteria or because to a lesser extent it meets all three.
It is important to note that not every act or conduct that might seem to fit the criteria will be a violation of CUTPA. For example, generally speaking, mere negligent acts or simple breaches of a contract do not constitute unfair or deceptive acts under CUTPA. It is also important to note that some conduct automatically violates CUTPA or is considered a per se violation, such as failure to follow the Home Improvement Act or to register a trade name.
There are many nuances to CUTPA and the above is only a brief summary. Any business or consumer trying to determine whether they were damaged by conduct constituting a violation of CUTPA should contact a business litigation attorney or the Attorney General's office.
