9-500.10. Escort and escort agency advertising requirements; civil penalty; definitions

A. An escort or escort agency shall not advertise escort services unless the advertisement includes either:

1. The escort license number of the escort if the advertisement is for the services of a specific escort.

2. The business license number of the escort agency where the services are offered if the advertisement does not offer the services of a specific escort.

B. An escort or escort agency shall retain on file, for at least one year, proof of the age of any escort whose services are offered in any advertisement of escort services.

C. An escort or escort agency that violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of:

1. Five hundred dollars for a first violation.

2. One thousand five hundred dollars for a second violation.

3. Five thousand dollars for a third or subsequent violation.

D. The attorney general, county attorney or city or town attorney may bring an action to enforce this section.

E. The court shall deposit any civil penalties collected pursuant to subsection C of this section into the human trafficking victims assistance fund established by section 41-114.

F. It is an affirmative defense in a civil action for a first violation of subsection A of this section that the escort or escort agency possessed a valid license at the time the advertisement was published.

G. It is an affirmative defense in a civil action for a violation of subsection B of this section that the escort whose services were offered in an advertisement for escort services was eighteen years of age or older at the time the advertisement was published.

H. For the purposes of this section:

1. " Advertisement" means any message in any medium that offers or solicits any person to retain the services of the escort or escort agency depicted in the advertisement.

2. " Escort" has the same meaning prescribed in section 13-1422.

3. " Escort agency" has the same meaning prescribed in section 13-1422.