State AGs in the News

Hot News

Last Friday, September 28, 2012, Dickstein Shapiro LLP hosted a panel discussion on Women Attorneys General: Past, Present and Future. Dickstein Shapiro Partners Divonne Smoyer and Lori Kalani, and Women in Government Relations President Katie Vlietstra welcomed current Attorneys General Martha Coakley (Massachusetts), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), Linda Kelly (Pennsylvania), and Ellen Rosenblum (Oregon), former Attorneys General Bonnie Campbell (Iowa), Frankie Sue Del Papa (Nevada), and Betty Montgomery (Ohio), and current Attorney General candidate Pam Bucy (Montana). The panel discussed the rewards and challenges of being a female Attorney General, as well as tips for working with the business community.

Consumer Protection

New Mexico Attorney General Wins Case Against FastBucks for Offering Unconscionable Loan Rates

• New Mexico Attorney General Gary King recently announced that his office prevailed in court against FastBucks, LLC, which was alleged to have offered unconscionable interest rates of 520 percent to 650 percent for 12-month loans in violation of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act.
• The Santa Fe District Court permanently enjoined FastBucks from originating their installment loans and ordered FastBucks to pay restitution estimated to be in excess of $10 million.

Arkansas Attorney General Sues American ID Solutions for Alleged Sales of Invalid Identification Documents

• Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel recently announced that his office has filed suit against Las Vegas company American ID Solutions for allegedly selling invalid international driver licenses and identification cards to Arkansas residents. The suit demands that American ID Solutions stop the allegedly illegal business practices, and to pay restitution to affected customers as well as civil penalties.

California Attorney General Settles with Anthem Blue Cross

• California Attorney General Kamala Harris recently announced that her office has reached a settlement agreement with Anthem Blue Cross to resolve allegations that the company printed the social security numbers of more than 31,000 Medicare Supplement members.
• As part of the settlement, Anthem Blue Cross has agreed to pay $40,000 into California’s Unfair Competition Law Fund, as well as to cover the State’s $110,000 attorney fees and investigation costs.

New York Attorney General Files Civil Suit Against JPMorgan Chase

• New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently announced that his office has filed a civil suit against JPMorgan Chase alleging that Bear Sterns perpetrated massive fraud related to residential mortgage-backed securities that it sold prior to 2008.
• The lawsuit alleges that the Bear Sterns business that JPMorgan Chase took over in 2008 deceived mortgage-backed investors about the defective loan backing securities they purchased, leading to “monumental losses.” It is unclear the damages that Attorney General will seek, but the Bear Sterns mortgage securities cost investors $22.5 billion.
• This is the first suit to be filed under the auspices of the RMBS Working Group, set up by President Barack Obama to investigate and prosecute alleged misconduct that contributed to the financial crisis.

Medicaid Fraud

New York Attorney General Settles with Kaleida Health for $1.6M

• New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently announced that his office reached a $1.6M settlement with Kaleida Health to resolve allegations of excess Medicaid payments on dental service claims.
• The Attorney General commended Kaleida Health for voluntarily disclosing the results of their internal audit, cooperating with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigation, and agreeing to make restitution.

Mortgages/Foreclosures:

New York Attorney General Settles with Appraisal Company CoreLogic, Inc. and EAppraiseIt for $7.8 million

• New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently announced that his office reached a settlement with CoreLogic, Inc. (formerly The First American Corporation and CoreLogic Valuation Services) and eAppraiseIT to resolve allegations that they colluded with Washington Mutual to inflate home values, contributing to the housing meltdown.
• The settlement includes $4 million in civil penalties, and $3.8 million for costs, fees, and disbursements incurred during the protracted litigation.
  

Missouri Attorney General Sues Three Mortgage Rescue Companies Alleging Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices

• Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster recently announced that his office has filed three separate lawsuits against three mortgage companies, Heartland Moss Mitigation LLC, Mader Law Group LLC, and CAPLAW P.A.
• The suits allege unfair and deceptive trade practices relating to mortgage modification schemes.

Pharmaceuticals

Arizona Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against McKesson Corp., the Nation’s Largest Drug Wholesaler, Alleging that the Corporation Violated Arizona’s Consumer Fraud Act

• Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne recently announced that his office has filed a complaint against McKesson Corp. alleging that the company artificially inflated the average wholesale price of more than 400 brand-name prescriptions.
• The complaint seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 against McKesson for each violation of the Consumer Fraud Act, as well as restitution.

State AG Political News

CWAG Chair, the Attorney General from Nevada, Announced that her Initiative will Focus on Reducing Money Laundering through Private/Public Partnerships

• Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Mastro recently announced that she hopes focusing on money laundering schemes will help combat the threats posed by organized crime and drug cartels.

Kentucky Attorney General Named Co-Chair of the Democratic Association of Attorneys General (DAGA)

• DAGA announced Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway’s new position at the Fall Policy Forum held September 27 in Washington, DC.