LEGAL NEWSLINE

Under the federal DOJ grant obtained by John Gourde, a strong North Dakota delegation attended the RISE24 conference. The event aimed to provide attendees with insights into drug trends, best practice standards, and the psychology of addiction, among other topics.

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Gwendolyn Gibbs, 72, owner of the Houston-area Daybreak Rehabilitation Center, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for orchestrating a $15 million health care fraud and kickback scheme. Gibbs was also ordered to pay $8,680,380 in restitution to government health care programs and will be subject to three years of supervised release following her prison term.

Kansas district courts affected by an October 12 cybersecurity incident have completed addressing a backlog of new cases and paper documents filed while court information systems were offline from mid-October to early January.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced a multi-state lawsuit today, challenging a new rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The rule redefines the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against discrimination on the basis of "sex" to include "gender identity." Under threat of severe penalties, it would require medical providers to perform surgeries and administer hormone drugs for gender transition to both children and adults, irrespective of a doctor's medical judgment on the appropriateness...

A Colombian national was sentenced today to 48 years and nine months in prison for his role in kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. Army soldiers who were on temporary duty in Bogota, Colombia.

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced an agreement with UPMC and Washington Health Care Services to preserve affordable access to health care in Washington and Greene Counties in connection with UPMC’s acquisition of Washington Health Care Services.

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter delivered remarks at the Promoting Competition in Artificial Intelligence Workshop on May 30, 2024. The event was co-hosted by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with the offices of 10 state attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), announced a significant settlement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that permanently eases restrictions on Division I college athletes who have transferred schools multiple times and enhances their rights and opportunities.

On May 15, 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a nuisance abatement lawsuit in Williamson County Courts to halt the operations of Sun Spa, an illicit massage business located on Pond Springs Road in Austin. The lawsuit followed an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Human Trafficking Unit, which uncovered evidence of illicit sexual activity at the establishment.

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today that his office has charged a Kane County man with the drug-induced homicides of two individuals who died late last year after consuming cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost will seek an en banc review from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit following a split decision by a three-member panel. The panel ruled that the "Protecting Ohioans' Constitutional Rights" proposed amendment and its summary should be sent to the Ballot Board.

America First Legal (AFL) has initiated a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) investigation into the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) concerning a blog post titled "5 Ways Employers Can Make Workplaces More Menstruation-Friendly." The post, authored by Eleanor Delamater and Mathilde Roux, Policy Analysts in DOL’s Women’s Bureau, discusses stereotypes and stigmas surrounding menstruation but does not mention the word “woman,” instead using the term “menstruators.”

Attorney General Josh Stein announced a proposed settlement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that will permanently ease restrictions on Division I college athletes who have transferred schools multiple times, allowing them to play immediately after changing teams. The agreement, which requires approval by U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey, aims to remove what the coalition of attorneys general views as an illegal restraint on athletes’ ability to pursue their best opportunities.

A drug dealer has been declared a habitual offender and will serve 18 years in prison after being caught dealing large quantities of fentanyl.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Stephen O’Keefe, 78, of Barre, Vermont, was arraigned today on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials. The charges are the result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Burlington Police Department.

A Texas man pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, while a Texas woman pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. These pleas are part of a broader scheme to defraud the IRS, which has seen seven defendants plead guilty in total, with fraudulent tax refund claims amounting to over $111 million.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) conducted a live web-based pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2024 Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program solicitation on May 30, 2024. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed the program’s requirements, discussed the solicitation, and allowed for a brief question-and-answer period.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a statement following the execution of Jamie Mills at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. The execution commenced at 6:12 p.m. CT, and Mills was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m. CT.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued a statement regarding the Campaign Finance-Foreign Nationals bill currently moving through the legislature.

Attorney General Jason Miyares announced a significant settlement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that permanently eases restrictions on Division I college athletes who have transferred schools multiple times. The NCAA’s transfer eligibility rule required athletes transferring between Division I schools to wait one year before competing in games unless they were granted a waiver. Although the NCAA exempted first-time transfers from this rule in 2021, the organization continued to enforce the rule for subsequent transfers without providing legitimate...