SB 1489: Recovering the cost of protecting Californians

A core part of the Attorney General’s responsibility is to prosecute “public rights” cases, such as environmental, consumer fraud, and civil rights. In 2004 the Legislature gave the A.G. the authority to recover court costs when they prevail in a case—the same authority enjoyed by private attorneys and a number of state Attorneys General. When a subsequent court ruling invalidated the authority on an unrelated technicality, the Legislature passed SB 1489 (Ducheny) to clarify and affirm the A.G.’s authority to recover costs for these important “public rights” cases.