Attorney General Josh Stein today announced that the price gouging law is in effect after Gov. Roy Cooper declared a statewide state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Idalia.
“Hurricane Idalia is coming – please be prepared, and remember that North Carolina’s price gouging law is in effect,” said Stein in a press release. “Most businesses do right by their customers, but if you see price gouging, report it to my office at ncdoj.gov/pricegouging. I will do everything in my power to hold any bad actor accountable.”
North Carolina’s law against price gouging, or charging too much in times of a crisis, goes into effect when the governor or the legislature declares a state of emergency. In some cases, businesses and industries that are heavily impacted by the incident causing the state of emergency have a reasonable need to increase prices in order to resupply, but they should disclose these increases so people can make informed purchasing decisions. Businesses cannot, however, unreasonably raise the price of goods or services to profit from a state of emergency.
Report potential price gouging by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a complaint at https://ncdoj.gov/pricegouging. Our office reviews price gouging complaints closely and Attorney General Stein is prepared to take action against any person or business engaging in price gouging.
Since 2018, At the state has brought 12 lawsuits against 29 defendants under North Carolina’s price gouging statute. Officials obtained 14 judgments or settlements totaling $1.08 million against 25 defendants, including a $274,000 settlement that was the largest price gouging settlement in the department’s history.
