Photo of William LaRosa

William (Bill) represents clients in complex regulatory investigations, state attorneys general matters, and enforcement proceedings. He draws on his experience as a former assistant U.S. attorney and as a private-sector litigator advising corporations in high-stakes litigation and regulatory investigations, including multistate AG investigations.

Troutman Pepper Locke State Attorneys General (AG) team members Lauren Fincher, Michael LaFleur, and Bill LaRosa will speak at a BARBRI CLE on Tuesday, June 9 from 1–2:30 p.m. ET. The program, “Challenging State Civil Investigative Demands Prohibited by Federal Law: Strategies and Practical Tips,” will address strategies and best practices for litigators responding to state AG civil investigative demands (CIDs) and investigative subpoenas, including an introduction to state AG CIDs, response options, and common pitfalls. The panel will also discuss the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in First Choice Women’s Resource Center v. Platkin, _ U.S. _ (2026), and offer approaches tailored to industries frequently targeted by state AG investigations.

A New Jersey queso fresco manufacturer’s ignored U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings culminated in a federal guilty plea after its products were linked to a multistate listeria outbreak that hospitalized at least 13 people and killed one. The case of Abuelito Cheese Inc. illustrates how regulatory noncompliance, left unaddressed, can escalate from civil enforcement into criminal liability under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).

On March 23, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit rejected an effort to preliminarily enjoin Florida’s ban on lab‑grown meat. The Eleventh Circuit held that the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) does not preempt the state law because the outright ban on lab-grown meat does not regulate poultry facilities, operations, or ingredients.

State attorneys general (AGs) from across the political spectrum have refused to join the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) midtrial settlement with Live Nation. The bipartisan multistate coalition vowed to “keep fighting this case without the federal government,” underscoring that state AGs are increasingly prepared to part with the DOJ and take the lead in complex enforcement actions.