State AGs in the News

Hot News

State AG Executive Briefing, March 5

Please join us for Dickstein Shapiro’s State AG Executive Briefing in Washington, DC, beginning at 3:00 PM on Monday, March 5, at the Park Hyatt Washington. This complimentary briefing will feature two panels with six AGs: Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley, Missouri AG Chris Koster, Colorado AG John Suthers, Rhode Island AG Peter Kilmartin, Georgia AG Sam Olens, and Alabama AG Luther Strange. The panels will be followed by a networking reception with the AGs and their staffs. This event is a unique opportunity for business and legal leaders to better understand the special role that AGs have in our political and legal system, how their offices work, and how their enforcement activities are shaping entire industries. Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions to these interactive sessions. For the agenda and to register, please visit our website.

Data Security/Privacy

California AG Announces Mobile App Privacy Agreement with Major Platform Operators

• California AG Kamala Harris announced an agreement with Apple, Google, Amazon.com, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Research In Motion that establishes privacy principles for mobile applications (app) that collect users’  personal information.
• Under the agreement, the companies will allow consumers the opportunity to review an app’s privacy policy before they download it; educate developers about their obligations to respect consumer privacy; and disclose to consumers what private information they collect, how they use the information, and with whom they share it.

36 AGs Express Concern over Google’s New Privacy Policy

• The National Association of Attorneys General sent a letter signed by 36 AGs to Google expressing AGs’ concerns regarding a new privacy policy announced by the company governing how it uses information provided by consumers.
• The AGs expressed particular concern over Google’s plan to automatically share personal information that consumers input into one Google product with all Google products, stating that consumers may have good reason to want to segment the information they provide to Google and that it will be difficult or impossible for consumers, including government agencies, to avoid using Google products that would expose them to the new policy.

Connecticut AG Investigates Alleged Data Breaches at State Entities

• Connecticut AG George Jepsen announced that he is seeking information from Central Connecticut State University and the state Department of Labor relating to allegations that data containing individuals’ social security numbers and other information were exposed to unauthorized access.
• The two entities already have agreed to provide two years of credit monitoring to affected individuals, but AG Jepsen is seeking information as to how the breaches occurred and the steps taken to prevent future breaches.

Consumer Protection

Massachusetts AG Investigates Oppenheimer over Alleged Overstatement of Fund’s Value

• Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley and federal regulators are investigating Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc., over allegations that the company was involved in overstating the value of holdings by a fund marketed to individuals and institutions.
• The AG and SEC are investigating whether the fund’s internal rate of return was inflated by marking up the value of its holdings at a time when the fund was attempting to attract investments, eventually amounting to $55 million, prior to being spun off by Oppenheimer earlier this year.

New York AG Settles with Discount Club over Deceptive Enrollment Practices

• New York AG Eric Schneiderman announced a settlement with Vertrue Incorporated and its subsidiary, Adaptive Marketing, LLC, over claims that the companies deceived consumers into enrolling in their online discount club.
• Under the settlement, the companies will pay $2 million to resolve allegations that they entered into arrangements with well-known online retailers that permitted the companies to solicit customers online by offering discounts and rebates in exchange for membership in their discount club, which included hidden fees after a brief free trial period.

North Dakota AG Shuts Down Company over Alleged Fraudulent Billings

• North Dakota AG Wayne Stenehjem announced a cease-and-desist order shutting down UST Development, Inc., a telecommunications maintenance firm in the State, on allegations of fraudulent billing.
• The AG’s action comes after more than 180 business and local governments complained that the company had allegedly sent invoices claiming payment for services that were neither agreed to nor provided.

Mortgages/Foreclosures

Colorado AG Shuts Down Allegedly Fraudulent Foreclosure Rescue Company

• Colorado AG John Suthers announced that he and the U.S. Attorney for Colorado have reached a preliminary agreement to shut down a company alleged to have engaged in a nationwide foreclosure-rescue scam.
• The agreement stems from allegations that the company accepted more than $3 million in fees from homeowners and convinced them to turn over the title to their houses in exchange for assistance preventing foreclosures, which the company never provided.