Final answer:
A licensee in West Virginia found guilty of excessive charges may face legal penalties, with fines that must be in proportion to the offense to avoid being unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment's protection against excessive fines.
Step-by-step explanation:
A licensee in West Virginia who has been found guilty of making excessive charges may be subject to various legal repercussions. Primarily, an excessive charge can be considered a fine, and under the Eighth Amendment, it states that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Thus, if the fines are deemed excessive in nature, they may violate the principle of the Eighth Amendment. In addition, the Supreme Court has defined an excessive fine as one "so grossly excessive as to amount to deprivation of property without due process of law" or "grossly disproportional to the gravity of a defendant's offense." Based on this, if a licensee in Virginia is found guilty of imposing excessive charges, they may face legal penalties such as fines, which must be proportionate to the gravity of the offense to avoid constitutional challenges.