                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COERCION OF RETAIL DEALER BY MANUFACTURER OR DISTRIBUTOR WITH RESPECT TO RETAIL
INSTALLMENT SALES CONTRACTS PROHIBITED; PENALTY (§ 46.2-1573.16)

A. It shall be unlawful for any manufacturer or distributor, or any officer,
agent, or representative of either, to coerce or attempt to coerce any retail
trailer dealer or prospective retail trailer dealer in the Commonwealth to sell,
assign, or transfer any retail installment sales contract obtained by the dealer
in connection with the sale by him in the Commonwealth of trailers manufactured
or sold by the manufacturer or distributor, to a specified finance company or
class of finance companies or to any other specified persons by any of the
following:

   1. Any statement, suggestion, promise, or threat that the manufacturer or
   distributor will in any manner benefit or injure the dealer, whether the
   statement, suggestion, threat, or promise is expressed or implied or made
   directly or indirectly.

   2. Any act that will benefit or injure the dealer.

   3. Any contract, or any expressed or implied offer of contract, made directly
   or indirectly to the dealer, for handling the trailer on the condition that
   the dealer sell, assign, or transfer his retail installment sales contract on
   the trailer, in the Commonwealth, to a specified finance company or class of
   finance companies or to any other specified person.

   4. Any expressed or implied statement or representation made directly or
   indirectly that the dealer is under any obligation whatsoever to sell, assign,
   or transfer any of his retail sales contracts in the Commonwealth on trailers
   manufactured or sold by the manufacturer or distributor to a finance company,
   or class of finance companies, or other specified person, because of any
   relationship or affiliation between the manufacturer or distributor and the
   finance company or companies or the specified person.

B. Any such statements, threats, promises, acts, contracts, or offers of
contracts, when their effect may be to lessen or eliminate competition or tend
to create a monopoly, are declared unfair trade practices and unfair methods of
competition and are prohibited.

C. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a
Class 1 misdemeanor.

HISTORY: 1996, cc. 1043, 1052, § 46.2-1992.68; 2015, c. 615.