civil penalty
Non-criminal legal punishment
A civil penalty is a fine or monetary sanction imposed by a government agency or court for violating a law or regulation, distinct from criminal penalties like imprisonment.
Civil penalties don't require criminal prosecution—they're assessed through administrative proceedings or civil lawsuits: The company faced civil penalties of $50,000 per day for environmental violations.
Unlike criminal fines, they don't result in a criminal record.
- fineAcceptable in quality
- slap on the wristTrivially lenient penalty
- sanctionApproval or punitive measure
- consent decreeCourt-approved agreement without liability admission
- violationBreaking of rules
monetary fine · infraction · enforcement · regulatory agency · regulatory · compliance · citation · forfeit · assessment · monetary · administrative · statutory · offense · breach · noncompliance · court order · judgment · liability
- finestraffic fines, parking fine, parking fines, speeding fine, speeding fines
- penaltiesfine, infractions, violations, fouls, foul
- legal enforcementarrest, arrest warrant, bench warrant, court order, garnishment
- tax enforcementtax audit, tax lien, tax collection, tax sale, tax levy
- court sanctionsfine, contempt, dismissal, injunction, attorney fees
- Fair HousingFHA, HUD, housing discrimination, protected classes, fair lending
civil penaltycriminal penalty
Punishment for lawbreaking
imprisonment · incarceration · jail time · prison sentence · criminal punishment
civil penaltyacquittal
Formal clearing of charges
exoneration · monetary award · compensation · dismissal · vindication
civil, penalty, civility, civilian, civilize, civilized, civilization, civics, civic