The Charitable Trust Section functions for Michigan citizens as a repository of financial and other information about charities they may want to support. At any one time there are more than 10,000 charities registered with the Attorney General's Charitable Trust Section. Most charities soliciting contributions in Michigan are required to register with the Charitable Trust Section. One of the goals of the Attorney General is to help educate the public and to assist them in making wise choices about what charities to support.
The Great Lakes define Michigan’s borders, but they are so much more than that. The Great Lakes are the lifeblood of our state, boosting our economy and providing drinking water and adventure to so many. Their preservation is up to all of us, and we all have a responsibility to protect them.
The Michigan Attorney General has determined that a full and complete investigation of what happened within the Catholic Church is required. This investigation is and will continue to be independent, thorough, transparent, and prompt. My department and this investigation will find out who knew what, and when.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General utilizes the services of Special Assistant Attorneys General from time to time when the unique circumstances of a particular case create the need for specialized services not currently available within the department.
The Conviction Integrity Unit (the “CIU”) investigates claims of innocence to determine whether there is clear and convincing new evidence that the convicted defendant was not the person who committed the offense.
In Michigan, a victim is an individual who suffers direct or threatened physical, financial, or emotional harm as a result of the commission of a crime.
The Task Force launched in 2019 and consists of more than 55 different organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sectors - all working together to combat elder abuse.
The laws regarding expungement of criminal offenses in Michigan changed in major ways in April of 2021. This page is designed to help applicants navigate their way through the new laws, help them determine if they are eligible to have convictions expunged, to answer frequently asked questions about the new laws, and to provide links for resources and assistance.
In late 2018, Attorney General Dana Nessel was elected and upon taking office in 2019, she made decisions to put a conflict wall in place that allowed her to lead the civil litigation into the Flint Water Crisis. The Office of Special Counsel was no longer needed, and Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy were tapped to lead the criminal investigation.
To investigate and prosecute hate crimes by following up on every credible tip and offer departmental resources to assist local and federal law enforcement partners in this effort.
The Michigan Attorney General is leading the fight against this horrific crime by prosecuting the state's first-ever criminal cases under state law banning human trafficking in Michigan. Victims of human trafficking are in bondage through force, fraud or coercion, for the purpose of sex or labor exploitation.
Michigan Identity Theft Support
Michigan Attorney General's robocall initiative is leading several efforts to protect Michigan residents from the billion plus robocalls made to them every year.
The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern. Consumer Alerts are not legal advice, legal authority, or a binding legal opinion from the Department of Attorney General.
The Open Meetings Act (OMA) took effect January 1, 1977. In enacting the OMA, the Legislature promoted a new era in governmental accountability and fostered openness in government to enhance responsible decision making.1 Nothing in the OMA prohibits a public body from adopting an ordinance, resolution, rule, or charter provision that requires a greater degree of openness relative to public body meetings than the standards provided for in the OMA. 2
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The Shopping Reform and Modernization Act ("Scanner Law"), became effective September 1, 2011. This legislation replaces the former Pricing and Advertising of Consumer Items Act ("Item Pricing Act"). While the Scanner Law retains many provisions of the Item Pricing Act, the most fundamental change is that retailers are required to display the price of items offered for sale in the store at the place where the item is located, but they are no longer required to individually mark the price on the item itself. The Scanner Law permits the price to be displayed by signage, electronic reader, or any other method that clearly conveys the price to a consumer when in the store at the place where the item is located.
This Consumer Alert provides information in response to questions about pricing requirements and scanner overcharge rights under the Scanner Law.
The Shopping Reform and Modernization Act, or Scanner Law, requires that most items on store shelves be clearly displayed with the price; by signage, electronic reader, price sticker, or any other method that clearly and reasonably conveys the price to a consumer in the store at the place where the item is located. If an automatic checkout system (scanner) charges you more than the displayed price of an item, and:
Then:
You must notify the seller that you were overcharged, within 30 days of the transaction, either in person or in writing. Within two days of receiving your notice, the seller may choose to refund you the difference between the amount charged and the price displayed plus a "bonus" of ten times the difference, with a minimum of $1.00 and a maximum of $5.00. If the seller does not pay you both the refund and the bonus, you may bring a lawsuit to recover your actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees up to $300.00. You may instead file a complaint in a small claims court without an attorney.
You are entitled to receive the difference between the displayed price and what you were charged, plus additional compensation ("bonus") of ten times the difference. The bonus must be at least $1.00, but it may not be more than $5.00. If the seller does not pay the difference and the bonus, you may sue for actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees of up to $300.00.
You are entitled to the sale price but not the bonus. There must be a price displayed for the item—and the item has to scan for more than the price displayed—for you to be entitled to the bonus.
No. When you purchase multiple identical items in a single transaction, you are only entitled to one bonus payment of ten times the difference between the displayed price and the price you were charged, but not less than $1.00 or more than $5.00. However, you get the difference between the displayed price and the price you were charged for each item you purchased.
The following consumer items are not required to have the price displayed in the store at the place where the item is located:
a. items sold by weight or volume which are not in package or container;
b. items sold in a coin-operated vending machine;
c. prepared food intended for immediate consumption;
d. items purchased by mail or through a catalog, or which are not otherwise visible for inspection, if the price of the item is on the consumer's written order or the bill/invoice;
e. unpackaged food items;
f. items which have a total weight of not more than 3 ounces, a total volume of not more than 3 cubic inches, and a total price of not more than 30 cents;
g. live plants;
h. live animals;
i. motor vehicles;
j. motor vehicle parts;
k. packages of 20 or fewer cigarettes;
l. greeting cards sold individually which have a readable coded price on the back of the card;
m. merchandise ordered by a consumer as a gift to be sent directly to the recipient.
Complaints regarding a store's failure to properly display the price of consumer items offered for sale should be directed to the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, Weights & Measures Section in the E.C. Heffron Laboratory, by calling 517-655-8202 or in writing addressed to 940 Venture Lane, Williamston, MI 48895.
A person who suffers a loss as a result of a violation of the Shopping Reform and Modernization Act may bring an individual or class action to recover actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, for each day on which a violation of the act has been found, together with reasonable attorney fees not to exceed $300.00 in an individual action.
No. The transaction must be complete, and you must have a receipt evidencing the overcharge before you are eligible to receive the bonus.
No. You have 30 days from the date you purchased the item to notify the seller in person or in writing. The notice you provide must include evidence of the loss suffered. The seller has two days after notification to pay an amount equal to the difference between the displayed price and the price charged and additional bonus equal to ten times that difference, with a minimum of $1.00 and a maximum of $5.00.
Probably not. The Scanner Law only requires the buyer to provide evidence of the loss suffered. When the buyer produces the receipt, the seller will likely immediately mark the receipt to indicate the difference and the bonus have been paid. The seller, however, has two days after notification to tender the difference and any applicable bonus. If the seller does not process the refund and applicable additional bonus immediately and you do not want to provide contact information, you will need to make arrangements to check back with the seller at a reasonable time and location.
This is a legal question best answered by a court. The Scanner Law requires that when a consumer is charged more than the displayed price, the seller may avoid a lawsuit by paying the buyer an amount equal to the difference between the displayed price and the price charged, plus an amount equal to ten times that difference with a minimum of $1.00 and a maximum of $5.00. Dictionaries offer differing definitions as to whether "pay" is limited to an offer of money.
Unless you are alleging the seller intentionally charged more for an item than the price displayed for the item, you must first notify the seller in person or in writing and provide evidence of the loss suffered. If the seller refunds the difference and any additional bonus due, you are barred from further recovery. If the seller does not refund the difference and any additional bonus due, the consumer may bring an individual or class action to recover actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, for each day on which violations of the act are found together with reasonable attorney fees not to exceed $300.00 in an individual action.
If the seller refunds the difference between price displayed and price charged, but fails to pay the bonus, you may bring an individual or class action to recover actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, for each day on which violations of the act are found together with reasonable attorney fees not to exceed $300.00 in an individual action.
You are not entitled to the bonus because you were not charged more than the price displayed for the item. Whether you are entitled to purchase the item at the advertised sale price is a fact-specific question best answered by a court. The failure to sell goods, merchandise, commodities, or services in the manner advertised, or the refusal to sell at the price advertised, or in accordance with other terms and conditions of the advertisement, creates a rebuttable presumption of intent to violate the Act.
This is a fact-specific question best answered by a court. A store may not knowingly charge or attempt to charge a price higher than the price displayed for that item. Therefore, the consumer may have a claim if the store will not sell the item at the price displayed. However, the consumer may face obstacles convincing a court that the store knowingly charged the higher price when the pricing mistake is not intentional and will result in an obvious windfall to the consumer.
Yes. However, another law—the Liquor Control Code—must also be considered. MCL 436.1101-MCL 436.2303. Under the Liquor Control Code, alcoholic liquor may not be sold below the "minimum retail selling price" set by the Liquor Control Commission. Spirits must be sold at a mandated price while beer and wine may not be sold below cost. MCL 436.1229. Therefore, the difference between the amount charged and the displayed price is only refundable if the retailer has charged more than the minimum retail selling price.
If the consumer is due a bonus, this amount must be paid if the seller wants to preclude the consumer from bringing a lawsuit because the bonus is not a price adjustment. The payment of the bonus is an amount paid by the seller for their error and is distinct from the price the consumer paid for the alcohol.
The payment of the difference between the amount charged and the displayed price, however, is essentially a price adjustment, and as such, might not be refundable in certain circumstances (i.e., if the retailer has charged the exact minimum retail selling price). Since alcohol is not an exempt item under the Shopping Reform and Modernization Act, and the Legislature is presumed to know that another law (the Liquor Control Code) requires certain alcohol pricing, this conclusion interprets the legislative intent when the laws are read together.
Consumers should direct complaints regarding alcohol pricing to the Enforcement Division of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission by calling 517-284-6330 or writing to Michigan Liquor Control Commission, 525 W. Allegan, P.O. Box 30005, Lansing, MI 48909. Violations may be reported by calling the toll-free hotline 866-893-2121.
Complaints regarding a scanner error overcharge by a store should be directed to the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, Weights & Measures Section in the E.C. Heffron Laboratory, by calling 517-655-8202 or in writing addressed to 940 Venture Lane, Williamston, MI 48895.
Download a dollar-bill-sized reminder card about your “Scanner Error Bill of Rights” to put in your wallet. To ask questions, contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division:
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll free: 877-765-8388
Online complaint form
