News from 2009
Oregon AG increases environmental enforcement efforts
John Kroger (D) SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)-Delivering on a campaign promise to beef up Oregon's environmental enforcement efforts, state Attorney General John Kroger has appointed two senior aides to pursue polluters.
AG Brown investigates alleged church scams
Jerry Brown (D) LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline)-California Attorney General Jerry Brown is investigating whether more than 30 African American churches were ripped off for tens of thousands of dollars.
Business leader praises Brown opinion on gov't salaries
Joel Fox SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-California Attorney General Jerry Brown's legal opinion that state lawmakers' salaries can be reduced mid-term won praise Friday from a statewide business leader.
Health care bill rests in moderate Democrats' hands
Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-The chief lobbyist for U.S. trial lawyers months ago predicted that moderate Senate Democrats could be an obstacle to President Barack Obama's push for a national health care overhaul. She was right.
OppenheimerFunds settles with Oregon; Families to receive refunds
John Kroger (D) SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)- OppenheimerFunds Inc., manager of Oregon's college savings plan, has reached at $20 million agreement in principle with the Beaver State over losses program participants suffered after the company invested funds in risky securities.
W.Va. Chamber: Coal regulations will increase health care costs
Roberts CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce says the state's two long-standing senators should refuse to vote on health care reform until it is assured regulations on the coal industry will be eased.
Agreement brings new player into Conn. road deicing market‏
Richard Blumenthal (D) HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - Competition in the road salt industry will be increased following an agreement announced by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal that enables a new vendor to enter the market.
Scruggs book coming Dec. 2
Lange JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) - Throughout the downfall of famed plaintiffs attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, visitors to Mississippi political Web site Y'All Politics noted that the saga would make a good book.
Ohio AG sues Wall Street rating firms
Richard Cordray (D) COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline)- The Ohio's attorney general sued the nation's three major Wall Street credit-ratings agencies Friday, alleging that they provided inflated ratings to mortgage-backed securities.
Rogue Conn. waste hauler fined more than $270,000
HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - Fines and penalties of more than $276,000 have been imposed on a rogue waste hauler for operating two illegal transfer stations in Stamford, Conn., by a Superior Court judge who also ordered that the facilities be permanently closed.
Poll: Republican Whitman tied with Brown in Calif. governor's race
Jerry Brown (D) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-If California Attorney General Jerry Brown decides to run for governor next year, he could have some real competition on his hands -- from a Republican, a poll indicates.
Critics decry Senate health care plan
Harry Reid (D-Nev.) WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan to overhaul the nation's health care system received a chilly reception from Republicans who decried the proposal as a bundle of tax increases and new responsibilities for cash-strapped states without enacting legal reforms.
Class action targets Wal-Mart's restocking practices
RICHMOND, Va. (Legal Newsline)-The mother of two young girls is suing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for negligence and violating Virginias Consumer Protection Act, after her daughters were exposed to pornography.
Calif. consumer group gives Republicans low marks; AG candidate swipes back
Tom Harman (R) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-Three Democrats vying to be California's next state attorney general reliably supported consumer protection efforts this year, drawing praise this week from one of the state's leading advocacy groups.
AP Poll: Americans want medical malpractice reform
Lisa Maas WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-The majority of Americans say federal lawmakers ought to make it more difficult for allegedly aggrieved patients to sue for medical malpractice, a poll Thursday indicates.
Illinois AG files suit against contractors accused of shoddy work‏
Lisa Madigan (D) CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Two lawsuits have been filed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan against contractors who either failed to complete work or performed their work in a substandard manner.
N.C. AG's lawsuit alleges elaborate manufactured home sale scheme
Cooper RALEIGH, N.C. (Legal Newsline) - North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has filed a lawsuit regarding an alleged scheme to deceive consumers into purchasing overpriced manufactured homes and agreeing to loans they couldn't afford.
GAO: Credit card companies' fees hurt businesses
John Emling WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-U.S. credit card companies are raking in big bucks from charging interchange fees while consumers and businesses continue to struggle amid a weakened national economy, a government report said Thursday.
St. Louis painting company settles hazardous waste violations
Chris Koster (D) JEFFERSON City, Mo. (Legal Newsline) - A St. Louis residential and commercial painting company has agreed to pay penalties of $28,600 for violations of Missouri's Hazardous Waste Management Law and Regulations.
Swap agreements not working in Pa., auditor general says
Wagner HARRISBURG, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner wants local governments and school districts to stop entering into swap agreements with investment firms.