News from July 2013
Wash. AG announces successful prosecution of illegal sewage dumping case
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) -- Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Thursday the successful prosecution of the operator of a Snohomish County septic service company who allegedly dumped more than 6,000 gallons of sewage illegally.
Mass. AG announces $800,000 settlement with Lowell orthodontist
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) -- Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced an $800,000 settlement Wednesday with a Lowell orthodontist who allegedly improperly billed the state's Medicaid program, which led to thousands of dollars in overpayments.
AGs file lawsuit demanding 'transparency' in EPA's settlements with environmental groups
OKLAHOMA CITY (Legal Newsline) -- Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, joined by 11 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court requesting access to documents related to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's "sue and settle" strategy with environmental groups.
Federal judge gives DOJ's lawsuit against S&P the green light
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) -- A federal judge this week refused to dismiss a lawsuit against The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. and its subsidiary Standard & Poor's Rating Services by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ill. AG announces provision of $70M to help state communities
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Wednesday that her office will dedicate $70 million in settlement funding from the National Mortgage Settlement to help rebuild Illinois communities devastated by the foreclosure crisis.
Schneiderman releases preliminary report on Superstorm Sandy charities
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) -- New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released a preliminary report Wednesday looking into how charitable organizations spent more than half a billion dollars in the months following Superstorm Sandy.
Ariz. AG announces $400,000 settlement with telemarketers
PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) -- Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne announced a settlement Tuesday against two Arizona telemarketing companies and their owners after they allegedly defrauded consumers in a work-from-home business opportunity scam.
Maine AG joins celebration of Military Consumer Protection Day
AUGUSTA, Maine (Legal Newsline) -- Maine Attorney General Janet Mills joined multiple state and federal organizations in celebrating the first annual Military Consumer Protection Day Wednesday.
N.Y. AG: New code of conduct will protect MLB players
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) -- New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced new efforts Tuesday that will protect current and future Major League Baseball players from harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation.
UPDATE: Focus of Calif. lead paint trial shifts to expert testimony
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) -- Is lead based paint a public nuisance?
Barbier grants motion for hearing on temporary suspension of BP claims program
GRETNA - U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier has granted a hearing to be held 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 19, concerning BP's request for a temporary injunction to stop the claims process paying damages to those affected by the 2010 BP oil spill, while a court appointed investigator court determines if two top legal counsel in the claims administrators office intervened in claims in which they had a personal
Federal judge denies request for three-month stay of Chevron RICO trial
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) -- A federal judge has denied a request by New York attorney Steven Donziger for a trial stay in a fraud case filed by Chevron Corp. against him and two Ecuadorian rainforest residents.
Ruling for plaintiffs in Calif. lead paint case could hurt state's real estate market
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) -- California's real estate market could take a hit if a state court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in a public nuisance case against former lead pigment and paint manufacturers, the head of a Los Angeles County property rights group says.
Pa. SC dismisses third lawsuit over mandatory retirement age
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Legal Newsline) -- The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has dismissed another lawsuit filed by judges challenging the state's mandatory retirement age.
R.I. AG's legislation banning certain synthetic drugs signed into law
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) -- Synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones will be place on a highly-regulated Schedule I drug list under legislation backed by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and signed into law this week.
U.S. Senate confirms Cordray as CFPB director
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) -- The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
N.J. AG calls gun buyback a 'success'
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) -- New Jersey Acting Attorney General John Hoffman announced Tuesday that 1,599 guns were turned in by residents of Union and Hudson counties during a state-sponsored gun buyback event Friday and Saturday.
Ohio AG announces $1.2M judgment against former Kent State coach
RAVENNA, Ohio (Legal Newsline) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that Kent State University was awarded $1.2 million after its former head men's basketball coach left to coach at Bradley University.
W.Va. AG issues consumer warning about health care fraud schemes
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) -- West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey warned consumers Tuesday about schemes attempting to use people's confusion over the implementation of the federal health care law to obtain personal information.