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 22 state attorneys general, led by Virginia Attorney General Miyares, submitted a bipartisan letter to Congress urging them to take action regarding copycat THC food items. These food products contain tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, and are designed and packaged to appear similar to popular snacks, such as Oreo cookies or Doritos chips. On June 16, the FDA issued a warning stating that between January and May the National Poison Control Center received over ten thousand single substance exposure cases involving edible products containing THC. Although the state attorneys general do not agree on the best regulatory scheme for cannabis and THC, they have agreed that copycat THC edibles pose a risk to the health and safety of children and some action should be taken by Congress.
- A coalition of 46 attorneys general announced a $1.25 million multistate settlement with Carnival Cruise Line stemming from a 2019 data breach involving the personal information of approximately 180,000 Carnival employees and customers. Carnival publicly reported this data breach in March 2020 stating an unauthorized actor gained access to Carnival employee e-mail accounts and personal information. Carnival has agreed to settlement provisions designed to strengthen its email security and breach response practices going forward.
- A coalition of 22 state attorneys general submitted a letter to FDA Commissioner Califf, Deputy Commissioner Yiannis, and USDA Secretary Vilsack outlining steps that the agencies should take to address the dangerous levels of toxic metals found in baby food. The letter calls for swift action and condemns the FDA’s failure to adequately regulate baby food. The letter follows a state attorneys general petition of the FDA last October, which was denied in June 2022. This letter asks for reconsideration of the petition.
California
- California Attorney General Bonta announced new and updated firearms data made available through the California Department of Justice’s 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal. The update will improve information sharing for firearms related data, such as the issuance of Concealed Carry Weapons permits and Gun Violence Restraining Orders.
Colorado
- Colorado Attorney General Weiser announced that Red Rocks Credit Union refunded Coloradans over $300,000 after the credit union failed to refund money related to unearned guaranteed automobile protection (GAP) premiums. Red Rocks Credit Union reached a settlement with consumers in early 2022 and was released from any further legal action from the Office of the Attorney General by paying full refunds plus interest to consumers.
District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Attorney General Racine issued a consumer alert regarding data privacy related to abortion access. The Office of the Attorney General warned that online abortion related searching, online medication ordering and using apps to track menstrual cycles may all collect data that could be used as evidence in lawsuits. The Office further provided no-cost measures to help keep personal information private.
Florida
- Florida Attorney General Moody issued a consumer alert warning Floridians about online cryptocurrency investment scams, specifically on LinkedIn’s platform. The alert highlighted LinkedIn’s recent warning about a rise in fraudulent activity.
Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Attorney General Healey released new guidance for residents and small business owners on solar energy. The guidance is designed to help consumers consider solar options and avoid potential pitfalls when contracting for solar products. The guidance was created following a series of workshops between the Office of the Attorney General and solar industry discussing best practices.
New Jersey
- New Jersey Acting Attorney General Platkin announced three local officials from Wildwood, N.J., have been criminally charged for fraudulently participating in the State Health Benefits Program. The three local officials were investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability because employer-provided healthcare is only available for full-time employees.
Ohio
- Ohio Attorney General Yost’s Robocall Enforcement Unit issued warning letters to ten Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers who may be engaging in illegal conduct. The letters serve to put the VoIP providers on notice of the relevant laws in Ohio prohibiting various types of robocalls and telemarketing.
Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Attorney General Shapiro filed charges against contractor Michael Bloom. Bloom entered into contracts with Pennsylvania residents for the installation of elevators and did not follow through with the contracted work. The damages to Pennsylvanians totals over $80,000.
For further information, please contact:
Clay Friedman, Partner, Crowell & Moring
cfriedman@crowell.com
