2020 Press Releases

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• 3/10/2020 Attorney General Tong Releases Guidance on Price Gouging Enforcement

  Attorney General William Tong today released the following statement and guidance on price gouging enforcement after Gov. Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies.

• 2/3/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces $118 Million Agreement with Practice Fusion

  Attorney General William Tong announced that Connecticut and other states have reached a $118.6 million civil settlement agreement with Practice Fusion, Inc., resolving allegations that the company accepted payments from specific drug manufacturers in exchange for promoting the manufacturers' drugs to physicians using Practice Fusion's software.

• 4/29/2020 Attorney General Tong Continues Fight to Stop Public Charge Rule

  Attorney General William Tong joined New York, Vermont and New York City in filing a motion asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to temporarily halt implementation of the Trump Administration’s Public Charge Rule in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

• 9/21/2020 AG Tong Warns Connecticut Residents to be on Alert for Utility Scams

  Attorney General William Tong today urged Connecticut residents to be on alert for utility scams after multiple reports of consumers receiving calls purporting to be from Eversource and threatening imminent shut-off of electricity if a payment was not made.

• 5/6/2020 Connecticut Announces Joint State-Federal COVID-19 Fraud Task Force

  Attorney General William Tong, U.S. Attorney John Durham, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo announced formation of a joint federal-state task force combatting COVID-19 related fraud in Connecticut. The task force will investigate and prosecute a wide range of misconduct related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including price gouging, healthcare and government program fraud, consumer and small business scams, lending scams, charities fraud, and cyber fraud. Violators may be subject to civil fines and penalties and/or state or federal criminal prosecution.

• 9/22/2020 AG Tong Opposes Effort to Weaken Protections For Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Individuals in Shelters

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in opposing the U.S. Department of Housing and Development’s (HUD) new proposed rule that would weaken protections for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals in HUD-funded shelters.

• 6/29/2020 Attorney General Tong Statement on Supreme Court Decision Protecting Abortion Rights

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement on the 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the pivotal abortion rights case June Medical Services v. Gee

• 9/24/2020 AG Tong Files brief in Support of States' Authority to Regulate Price Gouging

  Tong, 31 Attorneys General File Amicus Brief Arguing States’ Price Gouging Laws Are Necessary to Protect Vulnerable Residents During Emergencies

• 3/30/2020 Attorney General Tong Seeks Permanent Injunction to Protect National Guard Funds, Economy from Illegal Border Wall Diversion

  Attorney General William Tong and six attorneys general today filed a motion for partial summary judgment seeking to permanently block the Trump Administration from illegally diverting $3.8 billion in taxpayer funds to build an unnecessary and unwanted border wall. At a time when the entire nation is focused on responding to the COVID-19 crisis, the unlawful diversion adds unnecessary strain on already stressed state economies, and pulls funding from National Guard units on the front lines of the pandemic response.

• 9/29/2020 AG Tong Opposes Rule Governing Paycheck Protection Program Loan Appeals

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in opposing a proposed Small Business Administration (SBA) rule governing the appeals process for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

• 1/2/2020 Attorney General Tong, Secretary of the State Merrill, DCP Commissioner Seagull, and Better Business Bureau Warn Businesses: Don’t Fall Victim to Fraudulent Mailings

  Attorney General William Tong, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, and the Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut are urging residents to be wary of deceptive mailings that solicit Connecticut businesses, particularly small business owners, to purchase an unnecessary “certificate of legal existence.”

• 1/3/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Coalition Seeking Supreme Court Review of ACA Repeal Case

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a California-led coalition of 20 states and D.C. in filing a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision in Texas v. U.S. The decision held the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional and called into question whether the remaining provisions of the ACA could still stand, including those that protect and provide coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. Because this decision causes uncertainty that may harm the health of millions of Americans, and severely impact doctors, clinics, patients, and the healthcare market, Attorney General Tong and the coalition are petitioning the Supreme Court to take up the case and resolve it before the end of the Court’s current term in June.

• 9/30/2020 Connecticut Leads $39.5 Million Multistate Settlement Over 2014 Anthem Data Breach

  Attorney General William Tong today announced that Connecticut has obtained a $39.5 million multistate settlement with Anthem stemming from the massive 2014 data breach that involved the personal information of 78.8 million Americans.

• 12/7/2020 AG Tong Statement on Nomination of California AG Xavier Becerra to Lead Health and Human Services

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement regarding the nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

• 10/1/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces $300,000 False Claims Settlement with Columbia Dental

  ttorney General William Tong, the U.S. Department of Justice, and Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford today announced a $300,000 joint state/federal False Claims Act settlement with Columbia Dental, P.C., Columbia Oral Maxillofacial Imaging, L.L.C., and Abbas Mohammadi, D.D.S. (collectively, “Columbia Dental”), regarding overbilling for dental services and the use of uncertified dental assistants.