2019 Press Releases

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• 2/18/2019 AG TONG, 15 OTHER STATES FILE LAWSUIT CHALLENGING PRESIDENT TRUMP'S NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARATION

  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today joined California and 14 other states in a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency and his attempt to divert funding appropriated by Congress.

• 3/22/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS BIPARTISAN COALITION TO PROTECT STATE LOTTERIES

  Attorney General William Tong joined a group of 25 attorneys general in expressing concern over a sweeping legal opinion that may negatively impact state-run and multi-state lotteries, including Mega Millions and Powerball.

• 6/11/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS MULTI-STATE COALITION TO BLOCK T-MOBILE AND SPRINT MEGAMERGER

  (Hartford, CT) – Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined 9 states today in filing a multi-state lawsuit to halt the proposed merger of telecom giants T-Mobile and Sprint. The complaint, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, was filed in New York federal court in coordination with Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C., alleges that the merger of two of the four largest national mobile network operators would deprive consumers of the benefits of competition and drive up prices for cellphone services.

• 5/16/2019 AG TONG JOINS 25-STATE COALITION OPPOSING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROLLBACK OF COMMON-SENSE PROTECTIONS FOR PAYDAY LOAN BORROWERS

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 25 states opposing the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate rules protecting consumers from abusive payday and vehicle title loans.

• 6/14/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SHOWS POTENTIAL FOR GRAVE HARM TO CONNECTICUT, JOINS STATES IN SEEKING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO STOP HEALTH CARE DISCRIMINATION

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 23 cities, states, and municipalities, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a motion filed today to seek a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from adopting a Final Rule that would expand the ability of businesses and individuals to refuse to provide necessary health care on the basis of businesses' or employees’ “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” The motion is supported by declarations from 48 leading public health professionals from states across the country. The same coalition of 23 cities and states, filed a lawsuit against HHS in May 2019 to challenge this discriminatory rule.

• 6/12/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS AMICUS BRIEF OPPOSING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY STAY OF PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION IN SIERRA CLUB V. TRUMP

  Attorney General William Tong, as part of a 20 state coalition, filed an amicus brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Sierra Club, et al. v. Trump, et al., a case challenging President Trump’s unlawful diversion of funds toward construction of a border wall. The ACLU represents the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition in the lawsuit. The brief urges the court to deny the federal government’s emergency motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction granted by the district court in Sierra Club’s case, blocking President Trump from commencing border wall construction in New Mexico and Arizona with funds that were unlawfully diverted. The federal government has now appealed that ruling.

• 4/4/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES FALSE CLAIMS ACT SETTLEMENT WITH NEW HAVEN DENTIST

  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today announced a $252,913 settlement with New Haven dentist Robert Sorrentino to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for oral surgery and maxillofacial services to the Medicaid program.

• 6/6/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, 44-STATE COALITION MOVE TO UNSEAL GENERIC DRUG PRICE FIXING COMPLAINT

  (Hartford, CT) – Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and 43 other state attorneys general moved today to unseal their complaint against Teva Pharmaceuticals and 19 of the nation's largest generic drug manufacturers. The complaint, filed on May 10 in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleges a broad conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition and unreasonably restrain trade for more than 100 different drugs.

• 12/24/2019 AG TONG CALLS ON COURT TO UPHOLD CONTRACEPTIVE COVERAGE MANDATE

  Attorney General William Tong joined 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief defending the rights of tens of thousands of women across the country to full and equal access to birth control guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act.

• 3/20/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF LAWSUIT BY OAKLAND AND SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITIES TO HOLD BIG OIL ACCOUNTABLE FOR COSTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE

  ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF LAWSUIT BY OAKLAND AND SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITIES TO HOLD BIG OIL ACCOUNTABLE FOR COSTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE

• 11/26/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG, GOVERNOR LAMONT ANNOUNCE APPEAL OF SALT TAX DECISION

  Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont announced today that Connecticut has joined a multi-state effort to appeal a U.S. District Court decision that upheld the imposition of a new statutory cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions.

• 8/2/2019 TONG JOINS MULTISTATE COALITION CHALLENGING TRUMP’S MOVE TO GUT PROTECTIONS FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS FLEEING PERSECUTION

• 10/2/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM TONG SEEKS INFORMATION FROM DO-IT-YOURSELF RAPE KIT MANUFACTURERS

  The Connecticut Office of the Attorney General has sent letters to the manufactures of the "MeToo" and "PRESERVE" "do-it-yourself" rape kits seeking information regarding representations and implications by the companies that their kits will yield evidence admissible in criminal prosecution.

• 4/3/2019 AG TONG JOINS 39 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN EXPRESSING CONCERN REGARDING HHS PAIN MANAGEMENT DRAFT REPORT

  Attorney General William Tong joined members of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sharing concerns about the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force Draft Report.

• 4/22/2019 ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG EXPANDS LAWSUIT AGAINST PURDUE, SACKLERS, ALLEGES FRAUDULENT TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO EVADE ACCOUNTABILITY TO CONNECTICUT VICTIMS OF OPIOID EPIDEMIC

  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has filed an expanded, amended lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, members of the Sackler family, former members of Purdue's Board of Directors and corporate executives, and Sackler-controlled companies alleging fraudulent transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars from Purdue Pharma to the Sacklers to evade liability and accountability to Connecticut victims of the opioid epidemic.