18 U.S.C. § 2707 — Civil action

Page 664 TITLE 18—CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE § 2706 vider named in such process or request was supplied to or requested by that govern- mental authority and the date on which the supplying or request took place; (ii) that notification of such customer or subscriber was delayed; (iii) what governmental entity or court made the certification or determination pur- suant to which that delay was made; and (iv) which provision of this chapter al- lowed such delay. (6) As used in this subsection, the term ‘‘super- visory official’’ means the investigative agent in charge or assistant investigative agent in charge or an equivalent of an investigating agency’s headquarters or regional office, or the chief prosecuting attorney or the first assistant prosecuting attorney or an equivalent of a pros- ecuting attorney’s headquarters or regional of- fice. (b) PRECLUSION OF NOTICE TO SUBJECT OF GOV- ERNMENTAL ACCESS.—A governmental entity acting under section 2703, when it is not required to notify the subscriber or customer under sec- tion 2703(b)(1), or to the extent that it may delay such notice pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, may apply to a court for an order com- manding a provider of electronic communica- tions service or remote computing service to whom a warrant, subpoena, or court order is di- rected, for such period as the court deems appro- priate, not to notify any other person of the ex- istence of the warrant, subpoena, or court order. The court shall enter such an order if it deter- mines that there is reason to believe that notifi- cation of the existence of the warrant, subpoena, or court order will result in— (1) endangering the life or physical safety of an individual; (2) flight from prosecution; (3) destruction of or tampering with evi- dence; (4) intimidation of potential witnesses; or (5) otherwise seriously jeopardizing an inves- tigation or unduly delaying a trial. (Added Pub. L. 99–508, title II, § 201[(a)], Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1864.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective 90 days after Oct. 21, 1986, and, in the case of conduct pursuant to a court order or exten- sion, applicable only with respect to court orders or ex- tensions made after such effective date, see section 202 of Pub. L. 99–508, set out as a note under section 2701 of this title. § 2706. Cost reimbursement (a) PAYMENT.—Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), a governmental entity obtaining the contents of communications, records, or other information under section 2702, 2703, or 2704 of this title shall pay to the person or enti- ty assembling or providing such information a fee for reimbursement for such costs as are rea- sonably necessary and which have been directly incurred in searching for, assembling, reproduc- ing, or otherwise providing such information. Such reimbursable costs shall include any costs due to necessary disruption of normal oper- ations of any electronic communication service or remote computing service in which such in- formation may be stored. (b) AMOUNT.—The amount of the fee provided by subsection (a) shall be as mutually agreed by the governmental entity and the person or enti- ty providing the information, or, in the absence of agreement, shall be as determined by the court which issued the order for production of such information (or the court before which a criminal prosecution relating to such informa- tion would be brought, if no court order was issued for production of the information). (c) EXCEPTION.—The requirement of subsection (a) of this section does not apply with respect to records or other information maintained by a communications common carrier that relate to telephone toll records and telephone listings ob- tained under section 2703 of this title. The court may, however, order a payment as described in subsection (a) if the court determines the infor- mation required is unusually voluminous in na- ture or otherwise caused an undue burden on the provider. (Added Pub. L. 99–508, title II, § 201[(a)], Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1866; amended Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7061, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4404.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1988—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–690 inserted heading. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective 90 days after Oct. 21, 1986, and, in the case of conduct pursuant to a court order or exten- sion, applicable only with respect to court orders or ex- tensions made after such effective date, see section 202 of Pub. L. 99–508, set out as a note under section 2701 of this title. § 2707. Civil action (a) CAUSE OF ACTION.—Except as provided in section 2703(e), any provider of electronic com- munication service, subscriber, or other person aggrieved by any violation of this chapter in which the conduct constituting the violation is engaged in with a knowing or intentional state of mind may, in a civil action, recover from the person or entity, other than the United States, which engaged in that violation such relief as may be appropriate. (b) RELIEF.—In a civil action under this sec- tion, appropriate relief includes— (1) such preliminary and other equitable or declaratory relief as may be appropriate; (2) damages under subsection (c); and (3) a reasonable attorney’s fee and other liti- gation costs reasonably incurred. (c) DAMAGES.—The court may assess as dam- ages in a civil action under this section the sum of the actual damages suffered by the plaintiff and any profits made by the violator as a result of the violation, but in no case shall a person en- titled to recover receive less than the sum of $1,000. If the violation is willful or intentional, the court may assess punitive damages. In the case of a successful action to enforce liability Page 665 TITLE 18—CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE § 2708 under this section, the court may assess the costs of the action, together with reasonable at- torney fees determined by the court. (d) ADMINISTRATIVE DISCIPLINE.—If a court or appropriate department or agency determines that the United States or any of its departments or agencies has violated any provision of this chapter, and the court or appropriate depart- ment or agency finds that the circumstances surrounding the violation raise serious ques- tions about whether or not an officer or em- ployee of the United States acted willfully or in- tentionally with respect to the violation, the de- partment or agency shall, upon receipt of a true and correct copy of the decision and findings of the court or appropriate department or agency promptly initiate a proceeding to determine whether disciplinary action against the officer or employee is warranted. If the head of the de- partment or agency involved determines that disciplinary action is not warranted, he or she shall notify the Inspector General with jurisdic- tion over the department or agency concerned and shall provide the Inspector General with the reasons for such determination. (e) DEFENSE.—A good faith reliance on— (1) a court warrant or order, a grand jury subpoena, a legislative authorization, or a statutory authorization (including a request of a governmental entity under section 2703(f) of this title); (2) a request of an investigative or law en- forcement officer under section 2518(7) of this title; or (3) a good faith determination that section 2511(3), section 2702(b)(9), or section 2702(c)(7) of this title permitted the conduct complained of; is a complete defense to any civil or criminal ac- tion brought under this chapter or any other law. (f) LIMITATION.—A civil action under this sec- tion may not be commenced later than two years after the date upon which the claimant first discovered or had a reasonable opportunity to discover the violation. (g) IMPROPER DISCLOSURE.—Any willful disclo- sure of a ‘‘record’’, as that term is defined in section 552a(a) of title 5, United States Code, ob- tained by an investigative or law enforcement officer, or a governmental entity, pursuant to section 2703 of this title, or from a device in- stalled pursuant to section 3123 or 3125 of this title, that is not a disclosure made in the proper performance of the official functions of the offi- cer or governmental entity making the disclo- sure, is a violation of this chapter. This provi- sion shall not apply to information previously lawfully disclosed (prior to the commencement of any civil or administrative proceeding under this chapter) to the public by a Federal, State, or local governmental entity or by the plaintiff in a civil action under this chapter. (Added Pub. L. 99–508, title II, § 201[(a)], Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1866; amended Pub. L. 104–293, title VI, § 601(c), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3469; Pub. L. 107–56, title II, §§ 223(b), title VIII, § 815, Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 293, 384; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, § 4005(f)(2), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1813; Pub. L. 115–141, div. V, § 104(2)(B), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1216.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2018—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 115–141 amended par. (3) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (3) read as follows: ‘‘a good faith determination that section 2511(3) of this title permitted the conduct complained of;’’. 2002—Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 107–273 made technical correction to directory language of Pub. L. 107–56, § 815. See 2001 Amendment note below. 2001—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–56, § 223(b)(1), inserted ‘‘, other than the United States,’’ after ‘‘person or enti- ty’’. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 107–56, § 223(b)(2), added subsec. (d) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (d). Text read as follows: ‘‘If a court determines that any agency or department of the United States has violated this chapter and the court finds that the circumstances surrounding the violation raise the question whether or not an officer or employee of the agency or department acted willfully or intentionally with respect to the vio- lation, the agency or department concerned shall promptly initiate a proceeding to determine whether or not disciplinary action is warranted against the officer or employee.’’ Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 107–56, § 815, as amended by Pub. L. 107–273, inserted ‘‘(including a request of a gov- ernmental entity under section 2703(f) of this title)’’ after ‘‘or a statutory authorization’’. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 107–56, § 223(b)(3), added subsec. (g). 1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–293, § 601(c)(1), sub- stituted ‘‘other person’’ for ‘‘customer’’. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–293, § 601(c)(2), inserted at end ‘‘If the violation is willful or intentional, the court may assess punitive damages. In the case of a success- ful action to enforce liability under this section, the court may assess the costs of the action, together with reasonable attorney fees determined by the court.’’ Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 104–293, § 601(c)(3), (4), added subsec. (d) and redesignated former subsecs. (d) and (e) as (e) and (f), respectively. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2002 AMENDMENT Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, § 4005(f)(2), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1813, provided that the amendment made by section 4005(f)(2) is effective Oct. 26, 2001. EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective 90 days after Oct. 21, 1986, and, in the case of conduct pursuant to a court order or exten- sion, applicable only with respect to court orders or ex- tensions made after such effective date, see section 202 of Pub. L. 99–508, set out as a note under section 2701 of this title. § 2708. Exclusivity of remedies The remedies and sanctions described in this chapter are the only judicial remedies and sanc- tions for nonconstitutional violations of this chapter. (Added Pub. L. 99–508, title II, § 201[(a)], Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1867.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective 90 days after Oct. 21, 1986, and, in the case of conduct pursuant to a court order or exten- sion, applicable only with respect to court orders or ex- tensions made after such effective date, see section 202 of Pub. L. 99–508, set out as a note under section 2701 of this title.