2021 Maryland Statutes
Commercial Law
Title 13 - Consumer Protection Act
Subtitle 3 - Unfair, Abusive, or Deceptive Trade Practices
Section 13-301 - Unfair, Abusive, or Deceptive Trade Practices Defined

Universal Citation:
MD. Commercial Law Code Ann. § 13-301 (2021)
Learn more This media-neutral citation is based on the American Association of Law Libraries Universal Citation Guide and is not necessarily the official citation.

    Unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practices include any:

        (1)    False, falsely disparaging, or misleading oral or written statement, visual description, or other representation of any kind which has the capacity, tendency, or effect of deceiving or misleading consumers;

        (2)    Representation that:

            (i)    Consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services have a sponsorship, approval, accessory, characteristic, ingredient, use, benefit, or quantity which they do not have;

            (ii)    A merchant has a sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation, or connection which he does not have;

            (iii)    Deteriorated, altered, reconditioned, reclaimed, or secondhand consumer goods are original or new; or

            (iv)    Consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services are of a particular standard, quality, grade, style, or model which they are not;

        (3)    Failure to state a material fact if the failure deceives or tends to deceive;

        (4)    Disparagement of the goods, realty, services, or business of another by a false or misleading representation of a material fact;

        (5)    Advertisement or offer of consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services:

            (i)    Without intent to sell, lease, or rent them as advertised or offered; or

            (ii)    With intent not to supply reasonably expected public demand, unless the advertisement or offer discloses a limitation of quantity or other qualifying condition;

        (6)    False or misleading representation of fact which concerns:

            (i)    The reason for or the existence or amount of a price reduction; or

            (ii)    A price in comparison to a price of a competitor or to one’s own price at a past or future time;

        (7)    Knowingly false statement that a service, replacement, or repair is needed;

        (8)    False statement which concerns the reason for offering or supplying consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services at sale or discount prices;

        (9)    Deception, fraud, false pretense, false premise, misrepresentation, or knowing concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact with the intent that a consumer rely on the same in connection with:

            (i)    The promotion or sale of any consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer service;

            (ii)    A contract or other agreement for the evaluation, perfection, marketing, brokering or promotion of an invention; or

            (iii)    The subsequent performance of a merchant with respect to an agreement of sale, lease, or rental;

        (10)    Solicitations of sales or services over the telephone without first clearly, affirmatively, and expressly stating:

            (i)    The solicitor’s name and the trade name of a person represented by the solicitor;

            (ii)    The purpose of the telephone conversation; and

            (iii)    The kind of merchandise, real property, intangibles, or service solicited;

        (11)    Use of any plan or scheme in soliciting sales or services over the telephone that misrepresents the solicitor’s true status or mission;

        (12)    Use of a contract related to a consumer transaction which contains a confessed judgment clause that waives the consumer’s right to assert a legal defense to an action;

        (13)    Use by a seller, who is in the business of selling consumer realty, of a contract related to the sale of single family residential consumer realty, including condominiums and town houses, that contains a clause limiting or precluding the buyer’s right to obtain consequential damages as a result of the seller’s breach or cancellation of the contract;

        (14)    Violation of a provision of:

            (i)    This title;

            (ii)    An order of the Attorney General or agreement of a party relating to unit pricing under Title 14, Subtitle 1 of this article;

            (iii)    Title 14, Subtitle 2 of this article, the Maryland Consumer Debt Collection Act;

            (iv)    Title 14, Subtitle 3 of this article, the Maryland Door–to–Door Sales Act;

            (v)    Title 14, Subtitle 9 of this article, Kosher Products;

            (vi)    Title 14, Subtitle 10 of this article, Automotive Repair Facilities;

            (vii)    Section 14–1302 of this article;

            (viii)    Title 14, Subtitle 11 of this article, Maryland Layaway Sales Act;

            (ix)    Section 22–415 of the Transportation Article;

            (x)    Title 14, Subtitle 20 of this article;

            (xi)    Title 14, Subtitle 15 of this article, the Automotive Warranty Enforcement Act;

            (xii)    Title 14, Subtitle 21 of this article;

            (xiii)    Section 18–107 of the Transportation Article;

            (xiv)    Title 14, Subtitle 22 of this article, the Maryland Telephone Solicitations Act;

            (xv)    Title 14, Subtitle 23 of this article, the Automotive Crash Parts Act;

            (xvi)    Title 10, Subtitle 6 of the Real Property Article;

            (xvii)    Title 14, Subtitle 25 of this article, the Hearing Aid Sales Act;

            (xviii)    Title 14, Subtitle 26 of this article, the Maryland Door–to–Door Solicitations Act;

            (xix)    Title 14, Subtitle 31 of this article, the Maryland Household Goods Movers Act;

            (xx)    Title 14, Subtitle 32 of this article, the Maryland Telephone Consumer Protection Act;

            (xxi)    Title 14, Subtitle 34 of this article, the Social Security Number Privacy Act;

            (xxii)    Title 14, Subtitle 37 of this article, the Online Child Safety Act;

            (xxiii)    Section 14–1319, § 14–1320, or § 14–1322 of this article;

            (xxiv)    Section 7–304 or § 8–801 of the Criminal Law Article;

            (xxv)    Title 7, Subtitle 3 of the Real Property Article, the Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act;

            (xxvi)    Title 6, Subtitle 13 of the Environment Article;

            (xxvii)    Section 7–405(e)(2)(ii) of the Health Occupations Article;

            (xxviii)    Title 12, Subtitle 10 of the Financial Institutions Article;

            (xxix)    Title 19, Subtitle 7 of the Business Regulation Article;

            (xxx)    Section 15–311.3 of the Transportation Article;

            (xxxi)    Section 14–1324 of this article;

            (xxxii)    Section 14–1326 of this article;

            (xxxiii)    The federal Military Lending Act;

            (xxxiv)    The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; or

            (xxxv)    § 11–210 of the Education Article; or

        (15)    Act or omission that relates to a residential building and that is chargeable as a misdemeanor under or otherwise violates a provision of the Energy Conservation Building Standards Act, Title 7, Subtitle 4 of the Public Utilities Article.

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