On March 24, cryptocurrency investment firm Galaxy Digital Holdings (Galaxy) entered into an assurance of discontinuance (AOD) with New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James to resolve allegations that Galaxy engaged in misrepresentations when it promoted the failed algorithmic cryptocurrency Luna from 2020 to 2022.
The Office of Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Campbell announced the criminal indictment of several Massachusetts-based health care providers and their owners in connection with allegedly false claims they submitted to the Massachusetts Medicaid program, MassHealth. In what Campbell characterized as a fraud and kickback arrangement, the defendants submitted more than $7.8 million in false claims for reimbursement associated with urine drug tests and home health services that were not provided, not medically necessary, or not properly authorized.
On March 21, Florida Attorney General (AG) James Uthmeier’s Consumer Protection Division announced the resolution of ongoing litigation against a network of moving brokerage companies accused of misleading consumers. These companies, including Gold Standard Moving and Storage, allegedly misrepresented their services by claiming to offer professional, door-to-door moving services when they were operating as brokers, quoting low prices to secure large up-front deposits and then outsourcing the moving tasks to unvetted third-party carriers. According to the AG’s office, this practice frequently led to consumers allegedly facing additional and unexpected costs.
New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James recently announced her support for legislation that would significantly broaden the state’s consumer protection statute to prohibit not just deceptive acts, but also unfair and abusive business practices. The proposed Fostering Affordability and Integrity through Reasonable (FAIR) Business Practices Act, an idea long backed by leaders of the Biden-era Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has been introduced in both the New York State Senate and Assembly.
Earlier this month, Arizona Attorney General (AG) Kris Mayes announced a lawsuit alleging that CBR Systems, Inc. (CBR), one of the nation’s largest cord blood banking companies, engaged in deceptive and unfair practices.
Alaska’s Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Unit recently announced it obtained a Superior Court order issuing a $250,000 civil penalty against B. Merry Studio, which the state alleged to have marketed products as being made in Alaska, when the products were manufactured in the Philippines. The products at issue include knives, figurines, and animal carvings. While some of the products included raw materials sourced from Alaska, the products were assembled in the Philippines. When B. Merry Studio shipped the products to Alaska, their finishings included “Made in Philippines” stickers. The company allegedly replaced these stickers with labels that stated, “Alaskan Made” and “Made in Alaska.”
On March 7, Arizona Attorney General (AG) Kristin Mayes filed a novel lawsuit alleging consumer fraud and racketeering against numerous entities, individuals, and even law firms and title companies involved in the residential real estate market. The lawsuit is now pending in Maricopa County. The lawsuit offers a warning to entities, individuals, title companies, and even attorneys and law firms involved in the residential real estate industry.
Indiana Attorney General (AG) Todd Rokita recently partnered with the Indiana Gaming Commission to alert consumers about advertisements for illegal gambling.[1]
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.
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.