Each week, Crowell & Moring’s State Attorneys General team highlights significant actions that State AGs have taken. See our State Attorneys General page for more insights. Here are last week’s updates.
California
- California Attorney General Bonta issued a response to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s decision granting in part and denying in part a preliminary injunction against S.B. 976, the “Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction” Act, which limits social media companies’ abilities to use “addictive” design features. Attorney General Bonta announced the decision as an “early win” defending S.B. 976, as the court upheld “most” of the law. The court blocked two components of the bill on free speech grounds: first, a provision banning social media notifications between midnight and 6 AM year-round and between 8 AM and 3 PM on school days, and second, a provision mandating disclosures from social media platforms about minor users.
- Attorney General Bonta warned California drivers of an increase in SMS-based toll scams that claim to charge the recipient for FasTrak express lane use. The text messages include links that send victims to a supposed payment page that harvests credit card information. Attorney General Bonta’s statement reminds Californians that the state’s toll road agencies do not request payment by text with a link to a website.
Maryland
- Maryland Attorney General Brown and the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against the Lindsay Automotive Group for deceptive trade practice with bait-and-switch low prices that enticed car buyers to Lindsay dealerships before ballooning due to added charges or vanishing discounts. The Attorney General’s office and the FTC are seeking restitution for overcharged consumers, as well as penalties, costs, and an injunction prohibiting Lindsay from continuing to violate Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act.
Michigan
- Michigan Attorney General Nessel issued consumer guidance for data breach victims, including explanations of different kinds of fraud alerts and detailed instructions on how to report fraud, defend one’s privacy in the wake of a breach, and minimize risk. Attorney General Nessel’s announcement noted several high-profile data breach incidents affecting Michigan residents in 2024.
- Attorney General Nessel provided instructions for Michiganders to file complaints with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team, whether they be victims of holiday scams or deceptive business practices of a less festive stripe. This is the latest in an advent calendar-styled series of resources published by the Consumer Protection Team combatting holiday-related scams.
- Attorney General Nessel re-issued her consumer alert on holiday gift returns. The alert warns consumers to educate themselves about a store return polices before making a purchase and explains how to dispute a purchase where a store does not honor its policy.
Washington
- Washington Attorney General Ferguson announced that a physician assistant prosecuted by the Washington Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division was given the maximum sentence of 364 days of confinement and one year of community custody. According to charging documents, Eldon Leinweber committed Medicaid provider fraud when he sexually assaulted multiple female patients in exchange for narcotics. Leinweber pled guilty to two counts of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and solicitation to commit unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. Attorney General Ferguson’s office included that Leinweber had surrendered his medical license.