Opinion ID: 900846
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Excessive Civil Penalties

Text: [¶ 40.] In issue four, we reaffirmed our holding in Feiok that penalties under SDCL 32-22-55 are civil in nature. In addition to our restatement of the Feiok analysis regarding whether a penalty is civil or criminal in nature, the Feiok Court held that notwithstanding the use of the words `shall be fined' and `fine schedule' in SDCL 32-22-55, the [L]egislature intended to impose an additional sanction in the nature of a civil penalty. Feiok, 364 N.W.2d at 539-40. The Legislature has had ample time to amend SDCL 32-22-55 to provide that the penalties were penal rather than civil if it disagreed with the decision in Feiok. Although we recognize that these civil penalties result in heavy financial sanctions, we do not find them to be excessive. The issue regarding how a penalty should be calculated is best left to the Legislature.