2019 Press Releases

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• 7/23/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ISSUES STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ROLLBACK OF CLEAN CAR RULE

• 7/22/2019 AG TONG JOINS 18-STATE COALITION SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA'S BAN ON LARGE-CAPACITY MAGAZINES TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a group of 18 state attorneys general to defend California’s ban on large-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

• 7/21/2019 FOLLOWING FACEAPP PRIVACY CONTROVERSY, ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ISSUES CONSUMER GUIDANCE ON PRIVACY AND MOBILE APPLICATIONS

  Following the latest privacy controversy surrounding viral mobile app FaceApp, Attorney General William Tong issued consumer guidance for safe use of mobile apps.

• 7/21/2019 AG TONG ANNOUNCES $4.78 MILLION FOR CT AS STATES SECURE $600 MILLION FROM EQUIFAX IN LARGEST DATA BREACH SETTLEMENT IN HISTORY

  Attorney General William Tong and Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull today announced that a coalition of 50 attorneys general, comprising 48 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has reached a settlement with Equifax as the result of an investigation into a massive 2017 data breach. Connecticut co-led the multistate investigation, which found that Equifax’s failure to maintain a reasonable security system enabled hackers to penetrate its systems, exposing the data of 56 percent of American adults—the largest-ever breach of consumer data. The Attorneys General secured a settlement with Equifax that includes a Consumer Restitution Fund of up to $425 million, a $175 million payment to the states, and injunctive relief, which also includes a significant financial commitment. This is the largest data breach enforcement action in history.

• 7/21/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG TO DEFEND CONNECTICUT'S PARDON SYSTEM, IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS AT ORAL ARGUMENT BEFORE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

  Attorney General William Tong will defend the legitimacy of Connecticut's pardon process in oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston tomorrow.

• 7/16/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG AND GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCE LAWSUIT AGAINST IRS AND SECRETARY MNUCHIN

  Acting to protect Connecticut taxpayers from the harmful effects of the Trump Administration's federal tax overhaul, Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont announced today that the State is joining a multistate lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Treasury Department.

• 7/16/2019 AG TONG, DSS COMMISSIONER GIFFORD, COMPTROLLER LEMBO ANNOUNCE FALSE CLAIMS ACT LAWSUIT AGAINST THERAPY UNLIMITED FOR ALLEGEDLY SUBMITTING FALSE CLAIMS TO CONNECTICUT'S MEDICAID AND STATE HEALTHCARE PROGRAMS

  Attorney General William Tong, Connecticut Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, and State Comptroller Kevin Lembo, today announced a lawsuit against Therapy Unlimited, LLC and its owner, Catherine Risigo Wickline, for allegedly engaging in pervasive and illegal schemes to submit false claims to Connecticut's Medicaid program and the state employee/retiree health plan for millions of dollars of reimbursements that they were not entitled to receive.

• 7/16/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 37 ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGING FDA TO PARTNER WITH STATES TO PROTECT CONSUMERS OF CANNABIS-DERIVED PRODUCTS

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 37 state attorneys general urging federal cooperation with the states to protect consumers from false advertising and harms to their health from products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds, including cannabidiol (CBD). In a public comment filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the AGs highlight the need for research into the risks and potential benefits of cannabinoid products to inform consumers and assist in state-level regulation. They also encourage the FDA to continue partnering with state consumer protection authorities as it considers guidelines for this emerging market.

• 7/10/2019 AG TONG, DCP COMMISSIONER SEAGULL ANNOUNCE SETTLEMENT WITH HEALTH INSURER PREMERA OVER FAILURE TO PROTECT SENSITIVE DATA OF MILLIONS NATIONWIDE

  Attorney General William Tong and 29 other attorneys general filed a settlement today that requires Premera Blue Cross to pay a total of $10 million because of its failure to secure sensitive consumer data.

• 7/10/2019 AG TONG STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S CITIZENSHIP QUESTION ANNOUNCEMENT

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement today after the Trump Administration announced it would stop trying to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

• 7/9/2019 AG TONG, COMMISSIONERS SAADI AND SEAGULL, AND CONNECTICUT NATIONAL GUARD CAUTION CONSUMERS AGAINST MILITARY IMPOSTER AND AFFILIATION SCAMS

  Attorney General William Tong, Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Thomas Saadi, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, and Major General Francis J. Evon Jr., Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard, today marked Military Consumer Month by urging residents to remain vigilant against military imposter and affiliation scams.

• 7/9/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS OF IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN CIVIL DETENTION

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of attorneys general, led by California and Massachusetts, in filing an amicus brief to defend the human rights of immigrant children in civil detention in the United States.

• 7/8/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON TEXAS V. U.S. ARGUMENTS

  Attorney General William Tong released the following statement as a federal appeals court hears arguments today in Texas v. U.S

• 7/8/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS COALITION OPPOSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RULE TO DENY CRITICAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO IMMIGRANTS

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 23 states led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine today in submitting a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) opposing a new rule proposal that would deny housing assistance to mixed-status families that include any undocumented immigrants.

• 7/4/2019 AG TONG APPLAUDS NINTH CIRCUIT DECISION THAT MAINTAINS RULING BLOCKING CONSTRUCTION OF BORDER WALL

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement today regarding the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal's decision to deny the Trump Administration's emergency motion for a stay of the district court's order blocking construction of a border wall in California, New Mexico and Arizona with funds that were unlawfully diverted, while the appeal is pending.