AG Sends the Reminder the Price Gouging is Illegal

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is reminding residents that the state’s price gouging laws are in effect as a winter storm bears down on the state. The laws took effect Wednesday afternoon when Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued a state of preparedness for all West Virginia counties. The state’s price gouging laws prohibit any person, business, or contractor from inflating the price of any consumer item by more than 10 percent of what it sold for 10 days prior to the declaration. The laws remain in effect until the declaration is lifted or 30 days, whichever is longer, subject to limited exceptions. Items subject to the state’s price gouging laws are food items, essential consumer items, emergency supplies and home heating oil.