32-2-607 Notice of violation -- administrative hearing -- penalties -- liability

32-2-607 . Notice of violation -- administrative hearing -- penalties -- liability. (1) If the department has reasonable cause to believe that a person has violated this chapter, a rule promulgated under this chapter, or an order issued by the department or has made a material misrepresentation to the department by act or omission, the department may issue an administrative notice stating the alleged violation to the person.

(2) The Montana Administrative Procedure Act's provisions for contested cases and judicial review of contested cases apply to civil violations of this chapter.

(3) Any mutual association that maintains procedures reasonably adapted to avoid any inadvertent and unintentional error and, as a result of such an error, fails to submit or publish any report or information required by this chapter within the period of time specified by this chapter, or submits or publishes any false or misleading report or information, or inadvertently transmits or publishes any report that is minimally late is subject to a penalty of not more than $500 for each day during which the failure continues or the false or misleading information is not corrected. The mutual association has the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that an error was inadvertent and unintentional and that a report was inadvertently transmitted or published late.

(4) Any mutual association that fails to submit or publish any report or information required within the period of time specified by this chapter or submits or publishes any false or misleading report or information in a manner not described in subsection (3) is subject to a penalty of not more than $5,000 for each day during which the failure continues or the false or misleading information is not corrected.

(5) If any mutual association knowingly or with reckless disregard for the accuracy of any information or report described in subsection (4) submits or publishes any false or misleading report or information, the division may assess a penalty of not more than $10,000 for each day during which the failure continues or the false or misleading information is not corrected.

(6) The department's remedies specified in this chapter are cumulative.

(7) All civil penalties collected pursuant to this section must be deposited in the special revenue account for use by the department in its supervision of mutual associations.