Indiana Attorney General (AG) Todd Rokita recently partnered with the Indiana Gaming Commission to alert consumers about advertisements for illegal gambling.[1]
Washington AG Accuses Collection Agency of Violating Notice Requirement for Collecting Medical Debt
The Washington State Attorney General’s (AG) Office filed a lawsuit against Renton Collections Inc., accusing the company of violating Washington’s Collection Agency Act by failing to include certain disclosures in their collection letters to debtors.
State AGs Allege Bitcoin ATMs Increasingly Facilitate Scams
Recent actions by the Pennsylvania and Iowa state attorneys general (AG) suggest increasing regulatory scrutiny of bitcoin transaction machines (BTMs) in connection with the role they allegedly play in facilitating scams. In Pennsylvania, AG David Sunday issued a consumer alert, warning Pennsylvanians that scammers are using BTMs to gain access to their money. In Iowa, AG Brenna Bird brought two lawsuits against Bitcoin Depot and CoinFlip, Iowa’s two largest BTM operators, over alleged collection of illegal fees and failures that allowed Iowans to send millions of dollars to scammers through their kiosks.
New Jersey Division on Civil Rights Issues Finding of Probable Cause Against Consumer Financial Services Company for Discrimination
On March 11, New Jersey Attorney General (AG) Matthew Platkin and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) announced that DCR issued a finding of probable cause against Advance Funding Partners/Same Day Funding (Advance Funding), a company that provides cash advances and consumer loans, alleging that it violated the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination by discriminating against both consumers and employees.
FTC, States Sue John Deere in Right to Repair Lawsuit
On January 15, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Minnesota, and Illinois filed a lawsuit against Deere & Company (Deere). The complaint, which Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona have since joined, accuses Deere of creating and maintaining a repair services monopoly and engaging in anticompetitive business practices that interfere with farmers’ rights to repair their Deere agricultural equipment in violation of federal and state antitrust laws.
Massachusetts AG Campbell Releases “Junk” Fees and Auto-Renewal Regulations
Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Joy Campbell announced Massachusetts’ new consumer protection regulations prohibiting “junk fees” and providing consumers with greater transparency regarding trial and subscription offers, prohibiting unfair marketing tactics that obscure the true cost of a product or service. The regulations are intended to help consumers understand the total cost of products and services at the outset of a transaction, avoid fees, and make it easier to cancel unwanted costs associated with trial and subscription offers.
New York AG James Reaches $16.75M Settlement With DoorDash for Allegedly Misleading Tip Practices
The New York Attorney General’s (AG) Office announced a $16.75 million settlement with DoorDash, the prominent delivery platform. The settlement relates to claims that DoorDash misled both consumers and delivery workers (Dashers) regarding the handling of tips. Specifically, AG Letitia James alleged that DoorDash employed a guaranteed pay model that was supposed to ensure that delivery workers knew their pay upfront. However, DoorDash allegedly used the model to redirect customer tips to subsidize the wages the company had guaranteed to the Dashers. Instead of giving Dashers the full tips as intended, the tips were used to reduce DoorDash’s payment obligations that were needed to satisfy the guaranteed payment amount.
Eighth Circuit Finds State Standing to Challenge EEOC’s Pregnancy Accommodation Rules
Last week, in Tennessee v. EEOC, the Eighth Circuit reversed a district court’s decision and reinstated a lawsuit by 17 states (led by the Tennessee and Arkansas attorneys general (AGs)), holding that these states have standing to sue the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over its regulations implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000gg. This decision deserves mention because the court seemingly made it easier to demonstrate standing by finding that the “realities facing” regulated parties can demonstrate a concrete injury even without a threat of enforcement.
22 AGs Challenge New York’s Climate Superfund Law
A coalition of industry associations and 22 state attorneys general (AGs), led by West Virginia AG JB McCuskey, filed a lawsuit against the State of New York in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York challenging the validity of the state’s recently enacted Climate Change Superfund Act. The complaint asserts that the act’s retroactive imposition of multibillion-dollar fines on fossil fuel companies is both preempted by federal law and violates several bedrock constitutional principles.
Minnesota AG Releases Report Detailing AI and Social Media’s Impact on Minors
On February 4, the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General (AG) released its second Report on Emerging Technology and Its Effect on Youth Well-Being, outlining the effects young Minnesota residents allegedly experience from using social media and artificial intelligence (AI). The report highlights alleged adverse effects that technology platforms have on minors and claims that specific design choices exacerbate these issues.