Announcements, information & updates from the Attorney General Alliance Members and Associates
July 29, 2022
|
|
Industry Updates from the Bourbon State
280 W Jefferson St, Louisville, KY 40202
The Attorney General Alliance is pleased to host the upcoming Regulators Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, on August 3-4, 2022. The event will commence with an opening dinner on Wednesday, August 3rd, followed by a day of legal programming on Thursday, August 4th. Please join us as we discuss industry updates and explore issues regarding the regulation of the sale, service, and public consumption of alcohol products. Presentations will feature expert speakers that will help alcohol regulators and others stay informed about laws and best practices that govern the alcohol industry.
If you have any questions regarding logistics, please don’t hesitate to contact Ale Stephens, Director of Events at astephens@agalliance.org or 303.304.9206.
|
|
The Federal Trade Commission and 18 state attorneys general announced a $34.2 million settlement with Harris Jewelers for violations of state and federal consumer protection laws. The settlement resolves allegations that Harris Jewelers targeted military service members with dishonest sales and financing tactics at now-shuttered stores located near military bases across the country. As part of the settlement, Harris Jewelers will be required to write off $21.3 million in consumer debt nationwide and provide nearly $12.9 million in consumer refunds.
Joining the FTC in the agreement are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Hawaii.
|
|
District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 15 attorneys general in filing a friend of the court brief supporting the nonprofit group Haitian Bridge Alliance’s challenge to the federal government’s treatment of Haitian migrants at the United States border.
In their brief, the attorneys general oppose the federal government’s expulsion of thousands of Haitian migrants—including those seeking asylum—at the border without considering their fears of persecution or torture. The brief further argues that Haitian migrants offer substantial contributions to the United States and expelling them needlessly deprives the United States of those benefits while also retraumatizing an already vulnerable population.
Attorney General Karl Racine is leading the amicus brief with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who are both the only two current Haitian attorneys general. They are joined by Attorneys General from Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
|
|
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody secured $8 million as a result of a multistate action following a Wawa data breach. The announcement comes after an investigation into a December 2019 data breach that compromised potentially up to 34 million payment cards used at Wawa stores. Attorney General Moody is joined in the multistate action by the attorneys general of five other states, as well as Washington, D.C. The data breach occurred after hackers gained access to the company’s computer network and deployed malware on point-of-sale terminals. The malware extracted customers’ sensitive payment card information between April 18, 2019, and Dec. 12, 2019, and affected stores in each of the six states where Wawa operates—Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia—along with Washington, D.C.
The attorneys general of the following states, along with the District of Columbia, joined Attorney General Moody in the action: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
|
|
Attorneys General across the nation have reached an agreement in principle on key financial terms with opioid maker Teva, which would provide up to $4.25 billion to participating states and local governments. While critical details of the settlement remain the subject of ongoing negotiations, Teva disclosed the key financial terms in its earnings announcement. A final settlement remains contingent on agreement on critical business practice changes and transparency requirements.
The negotiations are being led by the following states: California, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. While New York is among the 12 states that negotiated this proposed settlement framework, Teva and New York are still engaged in further negotiations.
|
|
Twenty-two attorneys general joined together in a lawsuit filed against the new guidance for schools and programs that receive federal nutritional assistance. The lawsuit names the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a defendant and was filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
On May 5, 2022, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services issued guidance on Title IX and the Food and Nutrition Act. This put many states’ Title IX and SNAP school lunch funding at risk. School Lunch Program services nearly 30 million school children each day, many who rely on it for breakfast, lunch, or both. On June 14, 2022, a coalition of 26 state attorneys general called on the withdrawal of the USDA’s guidance that interpreted the statutory definition of “sex” in Title IX.
|
|
AGA Sponsor Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the nation’s largest hotel owners association, recently commended Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s crackdown on vacation rental scams.
Attorney General Moody tweeted that she was kicking off a Summer Scam Series with a focus on fake vacation rental ads. She included tips to avoid rental scams and announced a new consumer protection series about vacation rental scams.
AAHOA stated that they stand behind Attorney General Moody, and her dedication to protecting communities and travelers.
|
|
AGA would like to congratulate the following sponsors for being Named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and scoring 100%.
The Disability EquaIity Index is the world's most comprehensive benchmarking tool for the Fortune 1000 and Am Law 200 to measure disability workplace inclusion.
|
|
Missed our live programs? No problem! Follow the button below to visit our Virtual Seminar Library for access to all recordings.
Do you have a webinar topic suggestion? We want to hear from you! Please email ideas to Patricia Salazar at PSalazar@AGAlliance.org.
|
|
CWAG Executive Committee
AG Alliance Co-Chairs
|
|
Attorney General Alliance 5050 | Laguna Blvd., Ste. 112-323 | Elk Grove, CA 95758
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
