Have you Been Charged with Deceptive Business Practices in Georgia?
If you or a loved one has been charged with deceptive business practices, contact our offices today. Lawson and Berry and their team of Georgia Deceptive Business Practice Attorneys are dedicated to helping you prepare the best defense possible. Their decades of criminal defense experience in Georgia are unmatched. Contact them today to set up a free case evaluation.
O.C.G.A. §16-9-50 Defines Deceptive Business Practices
A person commits the offense of using a deceptive business practice when in the regular course of business he knowingly:
- Uses or possesses for use a false weight or measure or any other device for falsely determining or recording any quality or quantity;
- Sells, offers, or exposes for sale or delivers less than the represented quality or quantity of any commodity; or
- Takes or attempts to take more than the represented quantity of any commodity when as the buyer he furnishes the weight or measure.
Penalty for Deceptive Business Practices in Georgia
A person who is convicted of using a deceptive business practice in Georgia will be guilty of a misdemeanor. Misdemeanors come with a punishment of up to a $1,000 fine or one year in jail, or both.
Georgia Defenses for Deceptive Business Practices
Lack of Knowledge: Evidence showing that the accused lacked knowledge that the weight incorrectly recorded quality or quantity could help obtain an acquittal in the case. However, ignorance of the fact that the weight or measure was inaccurate will not be a defense.
It was a mistake: If the incident was a one-time occurrence and was not a regular course of business that could be a defense. Your Georgia Deceptive Business Practices Attorney would be greatly beneficial in presenting this argument.
What are Not Defenses
It was just an attempt: An attempt to take more than the represented quantity or an attempt to falsely record quality or quantity will be sufficient for a conviction.
Contact Us
Even though misdemeanors do not carry the same consequences as felonies, that just not mean you should just plead guilty and accept the punishment. Let our Georgia Deceptive Business Practice Lawyers work with you because even a misdemeanor conviction can have an impact on your future. Call us today.
