Attorney General Consumer Protection News: February 2021
This article summarizes recent attorney general consumer protection news, including multistate and individual attorney general actions.
Congress Passes “No Surprises Act” To Protect Consumers From Unexpected Medical Bills
Tucked inside the omnibus appropriations bill that was passed in the waning days of the 116th Congress, the “No Surprises Act” aims to address the problem of surprise medical bills. Surprise medical bills happen when a patient unexpectedly receives services from an out-of-network provider or in an out-of-network facility. The bill provides protection from surprise medical…
State AGs Utilize Consumer Protection Laws to Address Allegations of Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
When it was released on Aug. 14, 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury report exposed decades of alleged clergy abuse and cover-ups by Roman Catholic bishops and other church leaders in six of Pennsylvania’s eight dioceses. The impact of this unprecedented and comprehensive report was immediate and extensive, and it continues to this day. Recently, the…
Federal Consumer Protection News
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) announced a $35 million settlement with Discover Bank, The Student Loan Corporation, and Discover Products, Inc. (collectively, Discover), resolving allegations that Discover violated a 2015 Bureau order, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA). Under the settlement, Discover…
The Uncertain Future of TCPA Litigation
As succinctly stated by Justice Kavanaugh: “Americans passionately disagree about many things. But they are largely united in their disdain for robocalls.” And on February 1, 2021, a bipartisan coalition of 35 state attorneys general, led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, echoed this sentiment and filed an…
Challenge to the FTC’s Restitution Authority to be Heard by Supreme Court
Led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a bipartisan coalition of 30 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) right to obtain disgorgement and restitution for victims of deceptive practices in cases filed in U.S. district court under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act. The…
Working Group Submits Recommendations to Congress for Preventing Illegal Robocalls
Washington, D.C. — The interagency robocall working group, of which the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a member, has shared a robocall report with Congress with recommendations for the prevention and prosecution of unwanted telemarketing calls. The working group was established under the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act. Signed…
NAAG Works to Expose Illegal Robocallers
State Attorneys General have long been leaders in the fight against illegal robocallers and their assault on the American people’s privacy.
Attorneys General Ask Apple and Google to Ensure All Contact Tracing Apps Serve a Public Health Purpose
Digital contact tracing may provide a valuable tool to understand the spread of COVID-19 and assist the public health response to the pandemic. However, such technology also poses a risk to consumers’ personally identifiable information, including sensitive health information, that could continue long after the present public health emergency ends.
Attorneys General Call for New Consumer Protections to Protect Airline Industry Customers
State attorneys general are on the front lines of protecting American consumers from deceptive and unfair practices by industries. To that end, we strongly urge Congress that any further financial relief provided to the airline industry be coupled with, or followed by, appropriate consumer protection measures.
