State Attorneys General

New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James is suing JBS USA Food Company and JBS USA Food Company Holdings under New York’s consumer protection laws for allegedly attempting to boost consumer sales by making sustainability claims in its advertising that it had “no viable plan” for achieving.Continue Reading New York AG Sues Top Beef Producer for Alleged False “Net-Zero” Claims and Deceptive Trade Practices

New Jersey Attorney General (AG) Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs (Division) took action against the popular dating app company, Bumble, Inc., for alleged violations of the state’s consumer protection and internet dating safety laws.Continue Reading New Jersey AG Cracks Down on Bumble for Allegedly Misrepresenting Criminal Background Checks Policy

New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James filed a lawsuit on March 5 against Yellowstone Capital, its founder David Glass, and a network of 30 other affiliated companies and individuals. James alleges that Yellowstone Capital, acting through a myriad of different company names, engaged in an orchestrated predatory lending scheme. James’ lawsuit is among a wave of recent enforcement actions targeting alleged deceptive financial practices.Continue Reading New York AG Sues Yellowstone Capital Over Alleged “Fraudulent Loans” Targeting Small Businesses

As we look ahead to 2024, significant changes are underway in state attorney general (AG) elections, with 10 AGs facing reelection due to incumbents pursuing other offices or opting out. Open seats in North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia, indicate that at least six new AGs will come into power. Additionally, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, and Vermont will hold their AG elections, with incumbents facing challengers in those races.Continue Reading 2024 State AG Elections: A Landscape of Change and Competition

In a recent ruling, the California Court of Appeal largely affirmed a lower court’s decision from March 2022, finding that Ashford University (now known as University of Arizona Global Campus), an online, for-profit college, had engaged in deceptive recruitment practices vis-à-vis veterans eligible for federal GI Bill educational benefits. California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta initiated the action in November 2017, alleging that Ashford University had caused harm to a significant number of students, many of whom were veterans, by disseminating false and misleading statements about career outcomes, cost and financial aid, pace of degree programs, and transfer credits.Continue Reading California AG Bonta Upholds $21M Penalty Against Ashford University Over GI Bill Errors

On February 29, the state of Montana, supported by seven other states, filed an amicus brief arguing that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lacks authority to regulate crypto assets. The attorneys general (AG) submitted the brief in response to the SEC’s enforcement action alleging violations of the Exchange Act against Payward, a secondary market crypto platform. The AGs argue that the SEC’s position, with respect to regulating the crypto market, may potentially preempt consumer protection and other state laws, thus disrupting the traditional division of powers between the states and the federal government.Continue Reading 8 State AGs Argue That SEC’s Crypto Enforcement Action Is Unlawful

The U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) proposed an amendment to the General Services Acquisition Regulation (GSAR) aimed at reducing single-use plastic packaging. Specifically, the proposed amendment allows suppliers to voluntarily supply the government with “single use plastic free” (SUP-free) packaging and, in return, the suppliers will be eligible for a SUP-free filter icon on the GSA website that allows purchasers within the government to easily identify SUP-free products. Eleven attorneys general (AGs) from Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. signed a letter in support of the new rule. They identified some proposed modifications, arguing that the GSA’s proposed amendment does not go far enough to combat what the AGs deem to be a “plastic waste crisis.”Continue Reading 11 AGs Sign Letter in Support of GSA’s Proposed Rule on Plastic Packaging

In a recent alert, we reported that California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta announced a settlement with DoorDash over allegations that the company violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) by selling consumers’ personal information without providing notice or an opportunity to opt out.Continue Reading California AG Announces Second CCPA Settlement, Asserting DoorDash Failed to Deliver Privacy

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a coalition of nine state attorneys general (AG) filed a lawsuit on February 26, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon seeking a preliminary injunction to stall Kroger Company’s (Kroger) proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons Companies (Albertsons), citing concerns that the proposed deal would eliminate competition among the supermarket giants, leading to higher grocery prices for millions of Americans. FTC commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the lawsuit, which was joined by AGs from Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming. Simultaneously, the FTC filed an administrative complaint against Kroger and Albertsons to block the proposed transaction.Continue Reading FTC and a Coalition of Nine AGs Sue to Block Kroger’s Proposed $24.6B Acquisition of Albertsons

On February 23, U.S. District Judge Clifton L. Corker of the Eastern District of Tennessee granted a preliminary injunction requested by the Tennessee and Virginia attorneys generals (AG) against the NCAA’s “NIL-recruiting ban.” This ban prohibits boosters and collectives from discussing name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities with student-athletes before they commit to a school. The court found that the AGs had established both a likelihood of success on the merits and irreparable harm that would occur without the injunction. This decision could have significant implications for the landscape of college sports.Continue Reading Federal Court Halts NCAA’s Restrictions on NIL Recruiting: A Game Changer?