LEGAL NEWSLINE

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin announced today at the annual Missing Persons Event in Benton that his office will establish a new unit dedicated to investigating cold cases.

The Justice Department announced today its findings that Alaska violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide an accessible ballot for in-person voting, selecting inaccessible polling places for federal, state, and local elections, and maintaining an inaccessible elections website. The ADA mandates that states' voting services, programs, and activities be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

COVINGTON, Kentucky – A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction stopping the U.S. Department of Education from “implementing, enacting, enforcing or taking any action in any manner” regarding the Biden administration’ recent Title IX regulation.

Judicial Branch courts and the Administrative Office of the Courts will be closed Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in observance of Juneteenth. They will reopen on Thursday, June 20 at 8:00 a.m.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) - A class action lawsuit claims citric acid ruins Hershey's claims that Pirate's Booty snacks contain no artificial preservatives.

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Weaving through a maze of different state laws, a Delaware judge dismissed some of more than 150 claims that Syngenta’s paraquat weed killer causes Parkinson’s disease, although other claims remain intact.

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Truckers will be penalized for crossing below 60th street in Manhattan in order to alleviate traffic congestion, a federal lawsuit says, while the vehicles that cause that gridlock won't.

CLEVELAND (Legal Newsline) - Private lawyers working for state and municipal governments will be paid almost $700 an hour for their work in negotiating some $26 billion in settlements with the opioid industry.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla — Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading a multistate coalition of attorneys general in support of President Trump’s First Amendment rights. This action comes as another prosecutor seeks to impose an unlawful gag order on the former president. The coalition has filed an amicus brief, arguing that such a measure is both wrong and unconstitutional.

LANSING – The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has directed a federal district court to remand the case Nessel v. Enbridge back to state court, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The Attorney General argued before the Sixth Circuit in March that the case seeking to shut down the aging oil pipeline must be sent back to state court, where it was originally filed and litigated for over a year. The Sixth Circuit agreed and ordered the case to be remanded back to the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County, where proceedings are expected to resume before Judge James S. Jamo.

Attorney General Miyares Announces Elder Abuse Investigation Center for Central Virginia

Chicago — Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed a lawsuit against V Covington Realty LLC, V Covington LLC, Reed Illinois Corporation, K.L.F. Enterprises Inc., and Alliance Environmental Control Inc. The lawsuit concerns the alleged improper handling and removal of asbestos-containing materials during the demolition of Lake Behavioral Hospital in Waukegan, Illinois.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco delivered remarks at the DOJ Pride 30th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Ceremony on June 17, 2024. Her speech highlighted the significant contributions of DOJ Pride members over the past three decades.

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul has charged a Brighton, Illinois man with dissemination and possession of child pornography. This case is part of Raoul’s ongoing collaboration with federal and local law enforcement agencies across Illinois to apprehend individuals who download and trade child pornography online.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today celebrated Governor Tim Walz’s signing of the Debt Fairness Act, which provides Minnesotans repaying debt, including medical debt, with more protections. These reforms include banning the automatic transfer of medical debt to one’s spouse, banning reporting medical debt to credit bureaus, and banning denying necessary medical care on the basis of unpaid bills.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a 24-state coalition urging the district court in Florida to deny the Biden Department of Justice’s request for a gag order against President Trump. The proposed gag order would prevent President Trump from speaking about the raid on his Mar-a-Lago home during an election campaign.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Dr. David Young, 61, of Fredericksburg, Texas, was convicted by a federal jury for causing the submission of more than $70 million in fraudulent health care claims. Young wrote fraudulent prescriptions for medically unnecessary orthotic braces and genetic tests for more than 13,000 beneficiaries and received $475,000 in illegal kickbacks from providers.

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 18, 2024) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced a brokered settlement with plaintiffs' attorneys on a class-action federal lawsuit. The settlement aims to deliver long-delayed justice for crime victims and save the state millions of dollars by ensuring due process for criminal defendants deemed "not competent" to stand trial.

In observance of the Juneteenth holiday, the following courthouses will be closed on Wednesday, June 19: Cavalier, Bottineau, Bowman, Divide, Eddy, Foster, Oliver, Richland, Steele, and Williams.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, along with 42 other attorneys general, has reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to address allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and body powder products containing talc.