Consumer Chief of the Month: Brandon Garod, New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office
As I have only been New Hampshire’s Consumer Chief for a little over two years, I have not yet had the opportunity to meet many of you. I am hoping that as life starts to return to normal, our ability to congregate and learn from shared experiences will return as well, and I will be…
Using UDAP in an Action Against the Manufacturers of the Antiplatelet Medication Plavix
In 2014, the State of Hawai‘i sued the manufacturers of the antiplatelet medication Plavix in state court for violating Hawaii’s unfair or deceptive trade practices act, chapter 480, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (“UDAP”). After a four-week, virtual, non-jury trial concluded in November 2020, the Hawai‘i trial court entered judgment awarding more than $834 million in civil…
Public Health and Legal Implications of Treatment Flexibilities for Substance Use Treatment During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
June 16, 2021 at 2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT The webinar will provide the attorney general community and other stakeholders with an update on increased flexibilities in treatment delivery (e.g., telehealth services) for substance use disorder treatment during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting specific policy and legal considerations. Specifically, the webinar will provide the…
Federal Consumer Protection News and Other Items of Interest: April 2021
The US Supreme Court ruled against the FTC in AMG Capital Management LLC v. FTC, holding that Section 13(b) of the FTC Act does not permit the FTC to seek and does not allow courts to award “equitable monetary relief such as restitution or disgorgement.” FTC Acting Chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter issued a statement criticizing…
Attorney General Consumer Protection News: April 2021
Multistate Actions Led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, and Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, a bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general called on Twitter, eBay, and Shopify and online mobile market place OfferUp to act immediately to prevent people from selling fraudulent CDC vaccination cards on…
Consumer Chief of the Month: Laura E. McFarlane, Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Director, Public Protection Unit, Wisconsin Department of Justice
I am honored to be featured as the NAGTRI Center for Consumer Protection’s Chief of the Month. I was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. While I realize now how lucky I was to be raised here, at the time I graduated from high school, I was very much ready to leave Wisconsin. After graduating…
Restitution: The Superior Remedy
In most consumer fraud cases, restitution is the optimal remedy, serving the two-fold purposes of restoring consumers and deterring businesses from engaging in unlawful acts and practices. State attorneys general may sometimes settle matters without obtaining restitution for a variety of reasons, some of which are addressed below. However, prioritizing restitution begets important recoveries for…
2021 NAAG Consumer Protection Spring Virtual Conference
NAAG’s Consumer Protection Spring Conference will be held virtually on May 11-13, 2021. The agenda aims to address pressing and relevant issues specific to your role in consumer protection. On Tues., May 11, the private, nonprofit, and government sectors are invited to attend the public portion of the conference. The sessions on Wed., May 12 and Thurs.,…
The 2020 Supreme Court Term in Review
Tuesday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET United States Supreme Court decisions directly affect attorney general offices’ ability to enforce state laws and defend government officials’ conduct. In this program, NAAG’s Center for Supreme Court Advocacy will host two of the nation’s leading U.S. Supreme Court practitioners to discuss the Supreme Court’s current…
Federal Consumer Protection News and Other Items of Interest: March 2021
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) sued payment processor BrightSpeed Solutions Inc. and its former CEO Kevin Howard for supporting Internet-based tech-support scams. The CFPB alleges the defendants knowingly processed more than $71 million in payments for clients who tricked consumers, often older Americans, into purchasing expensive and unnecessary…
