LEGAL NEWSLINE

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced the finalization of a settlement agreement with Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers, who had been temporarily removed from his position while litigation was pursued to remove him permanently for breaking Missouri law. According to the settlement, Childers resigned effective Monday, August 19, and has been stripped of his Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification. He will not be allowed to serve in Missouri law enforcement again.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) has announced a temporary part-time position for a Hearing Officer I in Fargo, ND. The role offers an hourly salary of $41.40 and will work up to 40 hours per week based on business needs. This long-term temporary position qualifies for remote work with mandatory in-person training and travel to hearings in Eastern North Dakota.

The Justice Department has secured an agreement with Bennett County, South Dakota, and county officials to resolve claims that the county has failed to make its registration and early voting opportunities equally open to Native American voters as required by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

America First Legal (AFL) announced actions targeting the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State, and the Department of Education. The organization aims to expose and combat what it describes as the Biden-Harris Administration’s refusal to enforce criminal, civil, and immigration laws against a foreign-funded pro-Hamas network in the United States.

A former chief financial officer for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was sentenced to three years in prison today for his role in a broader scheme that defrauded the zoo of at least $2.3 million, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced.

Attorney General Charity Clark announced today that Vermont has joined an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The lawsuit, originally filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and state partners, accuses Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, of forming an illegal monopoly and engaging in anti-competitive practices to maintain that monopoly. Attorney General Clark’s office has been investigating Live Nation-Ticketmaster since May.

New Mexico has joined nine other states in a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The suit, which now includes 40 co-plaintiffs, alleges monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

Former U.S. Representative George Anthony Devolder Santos pleaded guilty today to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a bipartisan coalition of 40 attorneys general, has filed an amended complaint against Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (Live Nation) and its subsidiary Ticketmaster. The action seeks additional relief for American consumers harmed by these companies.

Today, Attorney General Mike Hilgers joined the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act and Nebraska antitrust laws.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution secured 40-year prison sentences for three members of a Romanian crime ring that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from schools and churches. A Fort Myers jury found Panait Dumitru, Catalin Trandafir, and Simona Trandafir guilty of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, grand theft, money laundering, aggravated white-collar crime, and unlawful possession of personal identification information. According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, the crime ring stole...

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent a letter to Congress expressing concerns over the Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic (SECURE) Notarization Act, which aims to preempt state notarization laws. In his letter, Bonta argues that any federal law on remote online notarization should allow states to monitor and prevent data breaches, fraud, and other abuses by allowing more robust state notarization laws to coexist.

Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined a 21-state coalition in demanding answers from online retailer Temu regarding its alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), data collection and sharing practices, and possible violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

Today, the Attorneys General of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont joined a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department, 29 other states and the District of Columbia against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond is praising a recent ruling by the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Oklahoma, a 25-state coalition and other plaintiffs fighting to block a new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) rule to reclassify pistols equipped with stabilizing braces as National Firearms Act-regulated short-barreled rifles.

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in support of commonsense state and federal laws that regulate the sale of guns to keep communities safe.

In an expedited opinion aimed at ensuring schools have the necessary resources for enhanced security, Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a formal directive today to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) to distribute long-overdue security funds to school districts.

Sheppard Mullin advised Care Connectors Medical Group in its acquisition by private equity firm Epilog Partners.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - Picturesque Bucks County, Pa., decided to do something about climate change itself earlier this year when it hired private lawyers on a contingency-fee basis to sue 14 of the world’s largest oil companies.

Georgia Lawyers for the Arts (GLA), a nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance and educational programming to artists and arts organizations, recently announced the appointment of Michael Hobbs, a partner in Troutman Pepper’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, to its Board of Directors.