Court Orders $15,000 Penalty Against Charity That Failed to File Financial Reports Since 1992
Failure2Comply.com Filed Under:A Superior Court judge has ordered the Battle of Normandy Foundation to pay a $15,000 penalty to the state of Connecticut for failing to file annual reports about its financial activities since 1992.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Consumer Protection Commissioner Mark A. Shiffrin said the charity is required to file annual reports under Connecticut's Charitable Solicitations Act.
"These reports are critical to our monitoring charities and determining whether donations are being used as donors intended," Blumenthal said. "Without this vital information, consumers do not have the information they need to make informed decisions about their charitable contributions."
"This judgment should serve as a clear message to all charities that their reports must be current," Shiffrin said. "These reports are the essential tools we need to ensure accountability for the charities."
The Battle of Normandy Foundation is located in Burtonsville, Maryland. The state's action against the foundation focused on the organization's failure to file annual reports for the 1993, 1994 and 1995 calendar years. The report for the 1996 calendar year is due May 31.
According to the 1992 report filed by the foundation, it raised some $1.7 million in that year and listed as its primary focus the education of the American public about the Battle of Normandy. Hartford Superior Court Judge Julia L. Aurigemma issued the decision against the foundation.
Blumenthal and Shiffrin said the state files about 10 lawsuits per year for failing to file reports, a step taken after repeated, unsuccessful attempts to get the charitable organizations to file reports as required by law. About 2,900 organizations are required to file the reports.
