§6309 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

Summary

The Attorney General can sue in federal court to stop anyone from taking part in or running a professional boxing match that breaks these rules. The court can issue temporary or permanent orders, like injunctions or restraining orders, to stop the conduct. People who knowingly break the rules can face up to 1 year in jail. Managers, promoters, matchmakers, and licensees face up to $20,000 in fines (and possible jail) for most violations. Violations of specific provisions (sections 6307a(b), 6307b, 6307c, 6307d, 6307e, 6307f, or 6307h) carry fines up to $100,000, and if the match earned more than $2,000,000 there is an extra fine scaled to those revenues. State boxing commissioners or Association of Boxing Commissions members who violate section 6308(a) face up to $20,000 and 1 year jail. A boxer who knowingly breaks any rule can be fined up to $1,000. A state’s top law enforcement officer can sue in federal court for residents to stop illegal matches, force compliance, get the fines from above or restitution, or other court-ordered relief. A boxer who loses money because of a violation can sue in state or federal court to get damages, court costs, and reasonable lawyer fees. These rules do not allow suits against the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Attorney General, or a state’s chief legal officer for official acts or failures; do not allow the private-damages claim against a State or its political subdivisions; and do not apply section 6307b to a boxer acting as a boxer.

Title 15, §6309

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whenever the Attorney General of the United States has reasonable cause to believe that a person is engaged in a violation of this chapter, the Attorney General may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court of the United States requesting such relief, including a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or other order, against the person, as the Attorney General determines to be necessary to restrain the person from continuing to engage in, sanction, promote, or otherwise participate in a professional boxing match in violation of this chapter.

(b)(1)Any manager, promoter, matchmaker, and licensee who knowingly violates, or coerces or causes any other person to violate, any provision of this chapter, other than section 6307a(b),11 So in original. section 6307a does not contain a subsec. (b). 6307b, 6307c, 6307d, 6307e, 6307f, or 6307h of this title, shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned for not more than 1 year or fined not more than $20,000, or both.

(2)Any person who knowingly violates any provision of section 6307a(b),1 6307b, 6307c, 6307d, 6307e, 6307f, or 6307h of this title shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned for not more than 1 year or fined not more than—

(A)$100,000; and

(B)if a violation occurs in connection with a professional boxing match the gross revenues for which exceed $2,000,000, an additional amount which bears the same ratio to $100,000 as the amount of such revenues compared to $2,000,000, or both.

(3)Any member or employee of a boxing commission, any person who administers or enforces State boxing laws, and any member of the Association of Boxing Commissions who knowingly violates section 6308(a) of this title shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned for not more than 1 year or fined not more than $20,000, or both.

(4)Any boxer who knowingly violates any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $1,000.

(c)Whenever the chief law enforcement officer of any State has reason to believe that a person or organization is engaging in practices which violate any requirement of this chapter, the State, as parens patriae, may bring a civil action on behalf of its residents in an appropriate district court of the United States—

(1)to enjoin the holding of any professional boxing match which the practice involves;

(2)to enforce compliance with this chapter;

(3)to obtain the fines provided under subsection (b) or appropriate restitution; or

(4)to obtain such other relief as the court may deem appropriate.

(d)Any boxer who suffers economic injury as a result of a violation of any provision of this chapter may bring an action in the appropriate Federal or State court and recover the damages suffered, court costs, and reasonable attorneys fees and expenses.

(e)Nothing in this chapter authorizes the enforcement of—

(1)any provision of this chapter against the Federal Trade Commission, the United States Attorney General, or the chief legal officer of any State for acting or failing to act in an official capacity;

(2)subsection (d) of this section against a State or political subdivision of a State, or any agency or instrumentality thereof; or

(3)section 6307b of this title against a boxer acting in his capacity as a boxer.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2000—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 106–210, § 6(1), inserted “, other than section 6307a(b), 6307b, 6307c, 6307d, 6307e, 6307f, or 6307h of this title,” after “this chapter”. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 106–210, § 6(3), added par. (2). Former par. (2) redesignated (3). Subsec. (b)(3), (4). Pub. L. 106–210, § 6(2), (4), redesignated pars. (2) and (3) as (3) and (4), respectively, and in par. (3) substituted “section 6308(a)” for “section 6308”. Subsecs. (c) to (e). Pub. L. 106–210, § 6(5), added subsecs. (c) to (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 1, 1997, see section 23 of Pub. L. 104–272, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

§6309 Enforcement