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Stephen leads the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group. He focuses his practice on enforcement actions, investigations, and litigation. Stephen primarily represents clients engaging with, or being investigated by, state attorneys general and other state or local governmental enforcement bodies, including the CFPB and FTC, as well as clients involved with litigation, with a particular focus on heavily regulated industries. He also has experience advising clients on data and privacy issues, including handling complex investigations into data incidents by state attorneys general other state and federal regulators. Additionally, Stephen provides strategic counsel to Troutman Pepper’s Strategies clients who need assistance with public policy, advocacy, and government relations strategies.

On February 25, the Utah Senate passed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (the UCPA), which closely resembles both the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (the VCDPA) and the Colorado Privacy Act (the CPA). The House unanimously passed the bill on March 2. The bill now goes to Governor Spencer Cox, who has 20 days to

Last month President Joe Biden made headlines when he reiterated his support for “right-to-repair” rules, which he first announced in a July 2021 executive order (discussed in our previous article here). The executive order asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) to draft “right-to-repair” rules to increase consumers’ ability to repair equipment on

On January 28, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that his office was beginning an “investigative sweep” of businesses operating consumer loyalty programs in California. The California AG’s press release stated that letters were sent to “major corporations in the retail, home improvement, travel, and food service industries” and allege the recipients’ potential noncompliance with

In this Bitcoin Magazine article, Troutman Pepper attorneys Stephen Piepgrass, James Stevens, Chris Carlson, and Namrata Kang discuss how in the absence of clear federal policy around emerging cryptocurrency-related technologies, state attorneys general will continue to take coordinated actions to regulate the industry. Recent enforcement actions against BlockFi and Celsius demonstrate that state regulators view

On January 13, a coalition of 39 state attorneys general — led by AGs from Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, and California — reached a settlement with student loan servicer Navient over allegedly unfair, deceptive, and abusive student loan origination and servicing practices. The $1.8 billion settlement will undoubtedly draw eyes, but perhaps just as important

On January 3, Virginia Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares announced key members of his leadership team, including the chief deputy, solicitor general, deputy attorneys general, and other senior staff members.

These members will be sworn in on January 15, and will then head the Virginia Office of Attorney General’s five legal divisions: Solicitor General Division, Government

Twenty-one Democratic state attorneys general claim that many Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-approved mortgage servicers have routinely flouted the agency’s mandated COVID-19-related relief options, including its loan modification program. In a December 21 letter to the FHA , the state attorneys general asked the FHA to ensure that all FHA lenders are implementing and fully complying

On December 8, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security to answer questions about the social media platform’s effects on children and teens. His appearance followed an announcement by a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general (AGs) regarding an investigation into whether Instagram promoted its

On November 2, Jason S. Miyares won the Virginia election to become Virginia’s first Latino attorney general. Miyares, a son of a Cuban refugee and a former criminal prosecutor, defeated two-term incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring. We have discussed Miyares’ campaign platform in detail here.

In 2015, Miyares was elected as a state delegate

The proliferation of “neobanks” has recently drawn the attention of lawmakers and regulators. “Neobanks” are financial technology companies that offer bank-like services through a digital interface. These companies often advertise themselves as serving low- to moderate-income individuals who are underserved by traditional banks. Neobanks offer a variety of services, like deposit accounts and paycheck advance