On June 6, Alabama, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin each filed enforcement actions against leading cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and its parent,...more
7/12/2023
/ Cease and Desist Orders ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FDIC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
SIPC ,
State Attorneys General ,
Trading Platforms ,
Unregistered Securities
The New York and Pennsylvania state attorneys general recently led a bipartisan coalition of 26 state AGs in a letter, supporting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s proposed rule amending the Negative Option Rule....more
On June 27, Illinois AG Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 13 Democratic attorneys general nationwide in submitting a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), supporting more stringent regulation of ethylene oxide...more
On June 13, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra provided the CFPB’s semiannual report to Congress, which included concerns about predatory house-flipping practices by companies like HomeVestors....more
On June 12, a bipartisan group of 23 attorneys general wrote a letter to the chief counsel for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), recommending a risk-based approach to a regulatory...more
A bipartisan coalition of 23 state attorney generals led by Virginia AG Jason Miyares recently went up in arms about a products liability ruling they believe will threaten state consumer protection laws. On May 30, the...more
6/16/2023
/ Life Sciences ,
Merck ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Preemption ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Product Defects ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State Attorneys General ,
State Sovereignty ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On June 8, a bipartisan coalition of 28 attorneys general issued a letter, supporting the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) proposal to close a “loophole” that currently allows lead generators to collect and sell...more
6/16/2023
/ Consumer Information ,
FCC ,
Information Sharing ,
Lead Generators ,
Marketing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Right to Privacy ,
Robocalling ,
State Attorneys General ,
Text Messages ,
Third-Party Service Provider
On June 7, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a request for information (RFI) to gain additional insight into how it can optimize joint enforcement with state attorneys general (state AGs) to protect consumers from...more
On May 10, SoLo Funds, Inc. (Solo), one of the largest community lending platforms in the United States, entered into a settlement with the District of Columbia attorney general (OAG). The settlement resolves claims that the...more
6/5/2023
/ Attorney General ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Protection Act ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Lenders ,
Loans ,
Online Marketplace Lending ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Usury
On May 16, California Attorney General Rob Bonta held a press conference, supporting California Senate Bill 478 (SB 478) to prohibit “junk fees” or hidden fees that a seller may add on top of an advertised price. The bill is...more
Pennsylvania AG Michelle Henry announced a settlement with New York-based Fluent LLC and its subsidiaries over allegations that they engaged in deceptive and misleading business practices by placing millions of unwanted...more
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced that he reached a $150,000 settlement with Rockingham health care provider Compassionate Counseling Services (Compassionate) for allegedly submitting false claims to the...more
On May 23, 49 state attorneys general sued Avid Telecom, its owner, and vice president for allegedly facilitating billions of robocalls in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The AGs requested civil penalties...more
On May 19, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes announced a consumer settlement with Response Marketing Group LLC and its principals for $15 million and a lifetime ban against selling money-making products and training services...more
On May 8, 12 states led by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), opposing its recently proposed rule to give the commission the authority to regulate...more
On May 11, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, along with two convenience stores and the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association, sued the California attorney general and district attorney for Fresno County in their...more
In March 2023, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) hosted its 2023 Attorney General Symposium and Presidential Summit in Philadelphia. Several State AGs and their staff members attended the meetings. Among...more
On April 28, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced a settlement with two Phoenix-area restaurants — Etta Scottsdale LLC and Maple & Ash Scottsdale LLC — over undisclosed add-on charges. AG Mayes claimed that the...more
In March 2023, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office issued a letter to Kroger Co., urging the company “to add clear signage to your stores to help consumers understand which eggs, exactly, came from caged chickens.”...more
In his most recent monthly column, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein shared insights on how customers can avoid falling prey to fake online reviews. Although AG Stein acknowledged that online reviews can be useful...more
Drawing from her experience investigating and prosecuting businesses in the aftermath of cybersecurity breaches, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a guide to help companies implement effective data security...more
On April 14, 11 state attorneys general reached a $500,000 bipartisan settlement with telehealth company Visibly, Inc. over violations of the states’ consumer protection statutes and health and safety laws. The AGs alleged...more
On April 14, a relatively unprecedented bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general from across the country joined forces to protect the rights of military veterans, which if successful would secure full educational...more
On April 7, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assembly member Brian Maienschein announced new legislative bill AB 1366, which creates a state Treasury Victims of Consumer Fraud Restitution Fund (VCFRF) to benefit...more
4/12/2023
/ Attorney General ,
California ,
Compensation ,
Crime Victims ,
Disgorgement ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Restitution ,
Victim Compensation Fund
In late November, the New Mexico attorney general announced a lawsuit in the Santa Fe County First Judicial District Court against Philip Morris USA Inc., R.J. Reynolds and other signatories to the tobacco master settlement...more