Each week, Crowell & Moring’s State Attorneys General team highlights significant actions that State AGs have taken. Here are this week’s updates.
Multistate
- A coalition of 15 attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Senate asking it to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The Act would secure pregnant individuals’ rights to be given reasonable accommodations at work without penalty. The coalition believes that existing federal law does not go far enough towards protecting these rights in the workplace.
Connecticut
- Connecticut Attorney General Tong announced a $739,759 settlement with Manchester Pediatric Associates, LLC and its owner. The settlement resolves allegations that the company submitted fraudulent and false claims for services that were not performed, resulting in overbilling the state Medicaid program.
Florida
- Florida Attorney General Moody issued a press release warning consumers about robotexts, saying they are now more prevalent than robocalls and that Florida is one of the states that receives the most spam text messages in the United States.
Georgia
- Georgia Attorney General Carr issued a press release warning consumers about COVID-19 testing scams and price gouging of COVID-19 tests. The press release also encourages consumers to report overcharging for COVID-19 tests.
Illinois
- Illinois Attorney General Raoul announced a consent decree with electronic cigarette manufacturer Juice Man, LLC, resolving allegations that the company created and advertised products that would appeal to minors. The consent decree bars Juice Man from selling electronic cigarettes in Illinois and requires it to act if it discovers its products are available in the state.
Kentucky
- Kentucky Attorney General Cameron announced the creation of an emergency contractor registration program after recent severe weather. The program is intended to eliminate the activity of contractors seeking to take advantage of consumers, and it requires those who want to do business in the state to register and display a placard.
Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Attorney General Healey issued a press release warning businesses and organizations in the state, especially those who own or operate critical infrastructure, to be particularly vigilant against cyberattacks and to review data security practices currently in place.
Michigan
- Michigan Attorney General Nessel announced that her intervention in a rate case resulted in an 88% reduction in a Michigan Public Service Commission rate increase request from Consumers Energy. The original request sought a $225 million increase.
Minnesota
- Minnesota Attorney General Ellison announced that the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that a wage theft investigation may move forward against property-management company Madison Equities. The company previously refused to comply with a civil investigative demand.
New Jersey
- The New Jersey Bureau of Securities announced that it would not adopt a rule proposed in 2019 that would have created a uniform fiduciary duty for investment advisers and securities broker-dealers. The rule will not be adopted due to increased use of digital platforms and practices, which may pose new risks for investors, meaning more exploration is required. At the moment, the Bureau will continue to use existing authority and regulations to combat predatory conduct.
New York
- New York Attorney General James issued warnings to several companies, such as Labworq LLC, Sameday Health, and ClearMD Health for allegedly misrepresenting turnaround times for COVID-19 testing results. Attorney General James asked companies to update their advertising, as well as contact consumers waiting for test results with a realistic estimate of the timing for results. In some cases, Attorney General James has also asked two of the companies to provide refunds to consumers.
- New York Attorney General James awarded over $900,000 to 14 environmental benefit projects, following a settlement with the Tonawanda Coke Corporation over environmental violations at a facility related to hazardous waste.