Title 7, AgricultureRelease 119-110
§13a–1 Enjoining or Restraining Violations
Title 7 › CHAPTER 1 — COMMODITY EXCHANGES › § 13a–1
Summary
The Commission can go to a federal court to stop anyone—registered companies or other people—who has broken, is breaking, or is about to break the rules about commodities, futures, or swaps, or who is blocking trading. The court can order temporary or permanent stops and can force people to follow the rules. Courts normally cannot issue a restraining order without giving the person notice first, except to stop someone from destroying or hiding records, from moving or wasting money or property, or to appoint a temporary receiver. Temporary or permanent orders can be issued without requiring a bond. Courts can also order people to do things to prevent rule violations, but those orders cannot be issued without notice. If the court finds a violation, it can order money penalties: up to the greater of $100,000 or three times the monetary gain for each violation, and for manipulation or attempted manipulation in violation of sections 9, 15, 13b, or 13(a)(2), up to the greater of $1,000,000 or three times the monetary gain for each violation. If a person does not pay, the Commission can ask the Attorney General to collect the money in court. The court can also require restitution to victims and disgorgement of wrongfully earned gains. Lawsuits can be filed where the defendant is found, lives, does business, or where the bad act happened. The Commission may ask the Attorney General to bring the case, or bring it itself and must notify the Attorney General. The Commission must also tell the Securities and Exchange Commission when it starts proceedings or issues orders against certain futures brokers, exempt floor brokers or traders, certain exempt associated persons, or designated contract markets.
Full Legal Text
Title 7, §13a–1
Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Action to enjoin or restrain violations
Whenever it shall appear to the Commission that any registered entity or other person has engaged, is engaging, or is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of any provision of this chapter or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder, or is restraining trading in any commodity for future delivery or any swap, the Commission may bring an action in the proper district court of the United States or the proper United States court of any territory or other place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to enjoin such act or practice, or to enforce compliance with this chapter, or any rule, regulation or order thereunder, and said courts shall have jurisdiction to entertain such actions: Provided, That no restraining order (other than a restraining order which prohibits any person from destroying, altering or disposing of, or refusing to permit authorized representatives of the Commission to inspect, when and as requested, any books and records or other documents or which prohibits any person from withdrawing, transferring, removing, dissipating, or disposing of any funds, assets, or other property, and other than an order appointing a temporary receiver to administer such restraining order and to perform such other duties as the court may consider appropriate) or injunction for violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be issued ex parte by said court.
(b)Injunction or restraining order
Upon a proper showing, a permanent or temporary injunction or restraining order shall be granted without bond.
(c)Writs or other orders
Upon application of the Commission, the district courts of the United States and the United States courts of any territory or other place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States shall also have jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus, or orders affording like relief, commanding any person to comply with the provisions of this chapter or any rule, regulation, or order of the Commission thereunder, including the requirement that such person take such action as is necessary to remove the danger of violation of this chapter or any such rule, regulation, or order: Provided, That no such writ of mandamus, or order affording like relief, shall be issued ex parte.
(d)Civil penalties
(1)In general.—
In any action brought under this section, the Commission may seek and the court shall have jurisdiction to impose, on a proper showing, on any person found in the action to have committed any violation—
(A)a civil penalty in the amount of not more than the greater of $100,000 or triple the monetary gain to the person for each violation; or
(B)in any case of manipulation or attempted manipulation in violation of section 9, 15, 13b, or 13(a)(2) of this title, a civil penalty in the amount of not more than the greater of $1,000,000 or triple the monetary gain to the person for each violation.
(2)If a person on whom such a penalty is imposed fails to pay the penalty within the time prescribed in the court’s order, the Commission may refer the matter to the Attorney General who shall recover the penalty by action in the appropriate United States district court.
(3)Equitable remedies.—
In any action brought under this section, the Commission may seek, and the court may impose, on a proper showing, on any person found in the action to have committed any violation, equitable remedies including—
(A)restitution to persons who have sustained losses proximately caused by such violation (in the amount of such losses); and
(B)disgorgement of gains received in connection with such violation.
(e)Venue and process
Any action under this section may be brought in the district wherein the defendant is found or is an inhabitant or transacts business or in the district where the act or practice occurred, is occurring, or is about to occur, and process in such cases may be served in any district in which the defendant is an inhabitant or wherever the defendant may be found.
(f)Action by Attorney General
In lieu of bringing actions itself pursuant to this section, the Commission may request the Attorney General to bring the action.
(g)Notice to Attorney General of action brought by Commission
Where the Commission elects to bring the action, it shall inform the Attorney General of such suit and advise him of subsequent developments.
(h)Notice of investigations and enforcement actions
The Commission shall provide the Securities and Exchange Commission with notice of the commencement of any proceeding and a copy of any order entered by the Commission against any futures commission merchant or introducing broker registered pursuant to section 6f(a)(2) of this title, any floor broker or floor trader exempt from registration pursuant to section 6f(a)(3) of this title, any associated person exempt from registration pursuant to section 6k(6) of this title, or any board of trade designated as a contract market pursuant to section 7b–1 of this title.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 made identical
Amendments
to this section. The
Amendments
by Pub. L. 110–234 were repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.
Amendments
2010—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–203, § 741(b)(5), inserted “or any swap” after “commodity for future delivery”. Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 111–203, § 744, added par. (3). 2008—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–246, § 13103(c), inserted subsec. heading, added par. (1), and struck out former par. (1) which read as follows: “In any action brought under this section, the Commission may seek and the court shall have jurisdiction to impose, on a proper showing, on any person found in the action to have committed any violation a civil penalty in the amount of not more than the higher of $100,000 or triple the monetary gain to the person for each violation.” 2000—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(5) [title I, § 123(a)(15)], substituted “registered entity” for “contract market”. Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(5) [title II, § 253(c)], added subsec. (h). 1992—Pub. L. 102–546 designated first, second, and third sentences as subsecs. (a) to (c), respectively, added subsec. (d), and designated fourth, fifth, and sixth sentences as subsecs. (e) to (g), respectively. 1986—Pub. L. 99–641 inserted “, and other than an order appointing a temporary receiver to administer such restraining order and to perform such other duties as the court may consider appropriate”. 1983—Pub. L. 97–444 inserted “(other than a restraining order which prohibits any person from destroying, altering or disposing of, or refusing to permit authorized representatives of the Commission to inspect, when and as requested, any books and records or other documents or which prohibits any person from withdrawing, transferring, removing, dissipating, or disposing of any funds, assets, or other property)” after “Provided, That no restraining order”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2010 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–203 effective on the later of 360 days after July 21, 2010, or, to the extent a provision of subtitle A (§§ 711–754) of title VII of Pub. L. 111–203 requires a rulemaking, not less than 60 days after publication of the final rule or regulation implementing such provision of subtitle A, see section 754 of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 1a of this title.
Effective Date
of 2008 AmendmentAmendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 8701 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1983 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–444 effective Jan. 11, 1983, see section 239 of Pub. L. 97–444, set out as a note under section 2 of this title.
Effective Date
For
Effective Date
of section, see section 418 of Pub. L. 93–463, set out as an
Effective Date
of 1974 Amendment note under section 2 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
7 U.S.C. § 13a–1
Title 7, Agriculture
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110