Nick Rees News
N.M. construction workers benefit from settlement
King ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Legal Newsline) - Thirty-seven construction workers in Farmington, N.M., will receive funds from a settlement totaling $236,000 from a local subcontractor who refused to pay them the prevailing wage and coerced the workers not to report the action.
Challenge to Utah pornography law dismissed
Shurtleff SALT LAKE CITY (Legal Newsline) - Utah has claimed a victory in its continuing battle to stop the pornography industry from e-mailing or sending text messages to children.
Coakley petitions federal agency
Coakley BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Massachusetts has begun taking steps to enforce a gas furnace efficiency standard that is more strict than the federal standard, which could save consumers approximately $144 million in heating costs between 2013-2030.
McKenna: Be wary of magazine sellers
McKenna SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna has issued a warning against those selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door claiming to be working for a charity.
Cuomo settles with Internet provider
Cuomo ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - An agreement has been reached with a Rochester-based company to pay $50,000 in refund and credits for failing to notify consumers properly about substantial early termination fees for its services.
Montana AG to form prescription drug abuse diversion unit‏
HELENA, Mont. (Legal Newsline) - Montana's attorney general has announced plans to create a drug diversion unit as a means to fight rampant prescription drug abuse.
Wetlands violations settled with N.H. attorney general
CONCORD, N.H. (Legal Newsline) - Violations of state wetland laws landed a New Hampshire company a $60,000 penalty.
Minnesota files lawsuits over two health insurance schemes
Lori Swanson (D) ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline) - Two lawsuits have been filed by Minnesota's attorney general against companies that allegedly scammed Minnesota citizens struggling with the high cost of health care.
Pfizer subsidiary to forfeit $4.5 million over fraudulent pricing‏
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - A forfeiture award of $4,578,000 has been levied against a pharmaceutical company for misrepresentations that defrauded the Wisconsin Medicaid program.
Iowa excavators penalized for failure to comply with One Call law‏
Tom Miller (D) DES MOINES, Iowa (Legal Newsline) - Excavators in four Iowa counties that failed to notify the state's "One Call" hotline prior to excavating have been ordered to pay civil penalties.
Tennessee cracks down on the sale of single cigarettes‏
Bob Cooper (D) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) - The sale of single cigarettes sold separately from a pack, called "loosies," in Tennessee is being combated by several Tennessee agencies.
Wal-Mart settles labor allegations
Martha Coakley (D) BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Massachusetts' attorney general has reached a settlement with Wal-Mart Stores over allegations the retailer failed to comply with the Massachusetts Meal Break Law.
Fla. AG files suit against Maimi-area subscription scam‏
Bill McCollum (R) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Florida's attorney general has filed a lawsuit alleging deceptive marketing practices against a Miami company that placed customers on a monthly subscription program without the customers' knowledge.
Pharmaceutical giant settles with Ariz. AG over inflated prices‏
Terry Goddard (D) PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) - Allegations of fraudulently inflated prices for certain drugs have led to a settlement between Bristol-Meyers Squibb and Arizona's attorney general.
Tombstone companies' assets frozen
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Legal Newsline) - A temporary injunction and asset freeze has been granted against two Tennessee individuals who allegedly took orders for tombstones and grave markers that were either delivered late or not delivered at all.
Conn. historical society ordered to pay for repairs
Richard Blumenthal (D) HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - Failure to properly use trust money by a historical society to maintain an 18th Century home has netted the society an order to pay $30,000 in restitution to repair the home.
Wisconsin AG defends council against judge's First Amendment challenge
MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - The Wisconsin Department of Justice defended its judicial code that does not allow judges to join political parties in front of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
N.J. attorney general files suit against Hoboken university‏
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - New Jersey's attorney general has filed suit against a Hoboken university, its president and its chairman of the board of trustees, leveling a 16-count civil complaint against them.
Delta settles with Mass. AG over payroll issue
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Delta Air Lines Inc. has agreed to a $35,000 settlement with the Massachusetts attorney general to resolve allegations that certain workers were not paid on a schedule permissible under Massachusetts Law.
Utah settles first of many pending Medicaid fraud suits‏
Mark Shurtleff (R) SALT LAKE CITY (Legal Newsline) - A drug manufacturer that allegedly overcharged Utah's Medicaid program has agreed to pay a $1 million settlement, the state's attorney general has announced.