IDCSA Damages — Indiana Treble Damages Layer

The Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act (IDCSA) layers significant additional damages on top of the Indiana Lemon Law — particularly discretionary treble damages or $500 minimum under § 24-5-0.5-4(a) and mandatory attorney fees under § 24-5-0.5-4(d). The pre-suit cure notice under § 24-5-0.5-5(a)(2) is required for treble damages.

What IDCSA recovers

Under § 24-5-0.5-4:

1. Actual damages OR $500 minimum — whichever greater.
2. Treble damages — discretionary under § 24-5-0.5-4(a) for willful or knowing deceptive acts (up to 3x actual or $1,000 minimum).
3. Equitable relief — injunctions, restitution.
4. Mandatory attorney fees under § 24-5-0.5-4(d) — separate from § 24-5-13-22 Lemon Law fees.
5. Costs.

When IDCSA applies in vehicle cases

IDCSA covers vehicle-related deceptive practices:

• Misrepresentation of vehicle condition, options, or history.
• Failure to disclose prior accidents, salvage, or known defects.
• Deceptive warranty practices — wrongful denial, requiring unauthorized parts.
• Deceptive arbitration practices — failing to honor binding arbitration awards.
• Lemon Law violations themselves can be IDCSA per se.
• Dealer fraud — bait-and-switch, fee inflation, F&I deceptive add-ons.

CRITICAL: Pre-suit cure notice required

§ 24-5-0.5-5(a)(2) requires the consumer to give the supplier:

• Written notice of the deceptive act.
• 30 days to cure before filing.

See our IDCSA cure notice article for the template.

Without the cure notice, IDCSA treble damages may be unavailable. The notice is procedural — get it right.

Treble damages — discretionary, requires willful/knowing

Under § 24-5-0.5-4(a), Indiana courts may award treble damages for uncured incurable deceptive acts:

• Discretionary — court “may” award.
• Up to 3x actual damages OR $1,000 minimum — whichever greater.
• Cure refused = treble damages on the table.
• Cure honored = no treble damages.

Mandatory § 24-5-0.5-4(d) attorney fees

Although § 24-5-0.5-4(d) says “may,” Indiana courts treat fees as functionally mandatory for prevailing IDCSA plaintiffs.

2-year SOL

IDCSA actions must be brought within 2 years from violation under § 24-5-0.5-5(b). The 30-day cure window typically tolls the SOL.

Comparison to peer state UDAPs

State	UDAP	Multiplier	Cure Required?	SOL
Indiana	IDCSA	Treble OR $500 min	YES — 30 days	2 years
Massachusetts	c. 93A § 9	2x or 3x mandatory	YES — 30 days	4 years
Tennessee	TCPA	Discretionary treble	No	1 year
Connecticut	CUTPA	Discretionary common-law	No	3 years
New Jersey	CFA	Mandatory treble	No	6 years
Pennsylvania	UTPCPL	Discretionary treble	No	6 years

Indiana and Massachusetts are the two states requiring pre-suit cure/demand notice for UDAP multiplier damages.

Pleading practice

Best practice in Indiana Lemon Law cases:

1. Lemon Law (§ 24-5-13) — refund/replacement + mandatory fees.
2. IDCSA (§ 24-5-0.5) — actual + treble + mandatory fees. Send cure notice first.
3. Magnuson-Moss — federal-court access + mandatory fees with 4-year UCC backstop.

Bottom line

IDCSA is the multiplier layer of an Indiana Lemon Law case — providing treble damages (or $500/$1,000 minimum) and a second mandatory fee basis. The 30-day pre-suit cure notice is procedural and mandatory for treble damages. Get it right.

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