2020 Press Releases

Page 5 of 18

• 10/15/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Coalition Urging DOJ to Revise Proposed Purdue Settlement

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of attorneys general calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to revise a proposed settlement with Purdue Pharma that would preserve the company’s ability to continue OxyContin sales as a public trust corporation.

• 4/3/2020 Attorney General Tong Issues Recommendations for Safe Video Conferencing

  Attorney General William Tong today encouraged all users of video conferencing technology to familiarize themselves with their platforms’ privacy and security features.

• 9/26/2020 Attorney General Tong Statement on the Nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court

  Attorney General William Tong issued a statement regarding the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• 6/24/2020 Attorney General Tong Sues to Stop Trump Administration’s Illegal Elimination of Critical Regulatory Safeguards for Students

  Attorney General William Tong joined 19 attorneys general filing suit today against U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to stop the elimination of critical protections for students considering enrolling in for-profit colleges and vocational schools.

• 3/20/2020 Office of the Attorney General Fully Operational as Majority of Workers Move to Telework Status

  Attorney General William Tong announced today that the Office of the Attorney General is fully operational as the majority of workers shift to telework status.

• 7/16/2020 AG Tong Joins Coalition Opposing Trump Administration Effort to Gut Asylum Protections

  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general, led by California, in filing a comment letter opposing the Trump Administration’s attempt to gut the nation’s asylum system.

• 6/16/2020 Attorney General Tong Asks Apple and Google to Ensure All Contact Tracing Apps Serve a Public Health Purpose

  Attorney General William Tong and a bipartisan coalition of 39 attorneys general today asked Google and Apple to ensure all contact tracing and exposure notification apps related to COVID-19 adequately protect consumers’ personal information. Specifically, the coalition asked Google and Apple to guarantee that such apps, when available to consumers, are affiliated with a public health authority and removed from Google Play and the App Store once no longer needed by public health authorities.

• 8/11/2020 AG Tong Escalates Legal Actions to Hold Eversource and UI Accountable for Failed Storm Response

  In a series of motions filed Tuesday, Attorney General William Tong escalated his legal actions to hold Eversource and United Illuminating accountable for their failed storm response. In a motion before the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority – which by law serves as the principal regulator and legal forum in which to make claims against the utilities – Attorney General Tong demanded once again that PURA open a contested case and prudence review-- legal proceedings which would enable the Attorney General to make the strongest claims on behalf of ratepayers and the state; seek fines, penalties and injunctive relief; and oppose the utilities’ requests for profits and reimbursement of storm-related costs. Failure by PURA to do so at the onset of the investigation could “set the stage for an endless series of related proceedings taking years to reach conclusion,” Attorney General Tong cautioned.

• 2/19/2020 CT Joins Lawsuit Against EPA Over Failure to Act on Ozone Pollution from Upwind States

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a new federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its failure to act – despite a court mandate -- on the problem of air pollution from upwind states that is harming Connecticut air and preventing the state from achieving compliance with federal Clean Air Act standards.

• 10/19/2020 AG Tong, DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull Urge Charities and Donors to be on Alert for Bad Actors During This Year’s Charity Fraud Awareness Week

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull are urging Connecticut charities and donors to be on alert for bad actors as part of a nationwide campaign to identify and combat fraud in the charity sector.

• 11/4/2020 Attorney General Tong Moves to Revoke or Reduce Pensions of Former Bridgeport Police Chief and Personnel Director

  Attorney General William Tong has moved to revoke or reduce the pensions of former Bridgeport Police Chief Armando “A.J.” Perez and Personnel Director David Dunn following federal guilty pleas involving the scheme to award Perez the Chief of Police position under false and fraudulent pretenses. Both men have pleaded guilty to federal Wire Fraud and False Statements charges.

• 7/14/2020 AG Tong Joins Multistate Coalition Urging US Senate to Increase Childcare Funding in the Next Federal Stimulus Package

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general urging the United States Senate to provide robust financial support for childcare providers in the next federal stimulus bill amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

• 9/8/2020 Attorney General Tong Releases Statement on Voting Integrity

  Attorney General William Tong, along with a coalition of 24 other attorneys general, released a statement today highlighting the importance of election integrity.

• 2/19/2020 AG Tong Continues Multistate Defense of Immigrant Driver Licenses

  Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 14 states today, authoring an amicus brief defending the right of states to keep their roads safe by issuing driver’s licenses to residents regardless of federal immigration status.

• 11/17/2020 Attorney General Tong, Secretary of State Merrill, Department of Consumer Protection Caution Businesses to Look Out for Unofficial "Annual Report" Mailing

  Attorney General William Tong, Secretary of State Denise Merrill and Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull today cautioned businesses to avoid paying unnecessary fees to entities offering assistance with annual report business filings.