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State AG News: Deceptive Practices, Consumer Fraud, Environmental Policy (September 10-17, 2026)

By Toni Michelle Jackson, Daniel Leff & Rachel Lee on September 21, 2026
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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. Below are the updates from September 10-17, 2026:

Multistate

  • A coalition of 21 attorneys general filed two lawsuits to protect endangered and threatened species. The suits allege that new rules undermine essential protections for wildlife under the Endangered Species Act.
  • A bipartisan coalition of 49 attorneys general urged the Federal Communications Commission to strengthen its “Know Your Upstream Provider” (KYUP) requirements to help prevent scammers from using U.S. phone networks to make unlawful robocalls. KYUP rules require voice service providers to take steps to not regularly pass through unlawful calls.
  • A coalition of 21 attorneys general and a governor filed an amicus brief in City of Columbus v. Kennedy, in support of a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland blocking key provisions of a final federal rule that the states argue would make it harder for consumers to enroll in and maintain health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, increase healthcare costs, and leave more people uninsured.
  • A coalition of four attorneys general submitted a comment letter opposing the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s proposal to limit the interpretation and use by federal agencies of findings in the Fifth National Climate Assessment that are based on certain worst-case, high emissions scenarios.
  • A coalition of 25 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in the Court of International Trade in Learning Resources v. Trump. The coalition argues that the latest round of tariffs levied under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 are pretextual and are not targeted to address the purported harms of forced labor but are instead designed to recreate tariffs already declared illegal by various other courts.
  • A coalition of 16 attorneys general sent a letter to Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren opposing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. The coalition warned that the Clarity Act could jeopardize their ability to protect investors from rampant digital cryptocurrency fraud and scams, by preventing states from serving as the first line of defense.

Arizona

  • Attorney General Mayes announced the filing of a consumer fraud lawsuit against L’Oréal USA, Inc. and Softsheen, for the advertisement and sale of chemical hair relaxer products without disclosing that the products contain likely carcinogens or are otherwise linked to an increased risk of cancer.

Massachusetts

  • Attorney General Campbell announced that her office entered into a consent judgment with debt collection and debt buying companies Judgment Acquisitions Unlimited, Champion Funding, Inc., and their owner, Andrew Metcalf, resolving allegations of unfair and deceptive debt collection practices under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, particularly by seizing consumers’ vehicles to coerce payment. The settlement permanently bars the companies and their owner from operating a debt collection business in Massachusetts, and delivers debt relief for thousands of residents.

Minnesota

  • Attorney General Ellison reached a settlement with Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association to resolve allegations that the utility company had engaged in deceptive and unfair practices in violation of Minnesota law. The utility company has agreed to provide separate and distinct notices to individuals regarding potential disconnection, to stop using energy assistance as a hurdle customers had to jump in order to engage the cooperative in a payment plan, to offer written payment plans, and to maintain records enabling Attorney General oversight.

New York

  • Attorney General James secured $8 million, including penalties, from VGW Holdings Pty. Ltd. and its affiliates for unlawfully running online gambling platforms. New York law prohibits online platforms from offering gambling that involves risking something of value, including redeemable virtual coins.

Washington

  • Attorney General Brown announced that Registrar Agency LLC will pay more than $520,000 in a settlement to resolve allegations that the company sent more than 190,000 solicitations to Washington businesses that deceptively appeared to be bills from a government agency. Under the settlement agreement, Registrar will refrain from sending deceptive solicitations to businesses to pay inflated fees for governmental filings and will stop using the image of the Washington State Capitol on its solicitations.

Tags: Trump Tariffs
Photo of Toni Michelle Jackson Toni Michelle Jackson

Toni Michelle Jackson is a first-chair litigator whose extensive jury and bench trial experience is informed by over 15 years of government service. Clients rely on her to marshal the evidence presented during discovery and either win their case at summary judgment or…

Toni Michelle Jackson is a first-chair litigator whose extensive jury and bench trial experience is informed by over 15 years of government service. Clients rely on her to marshal the evidence presented during discovery and either win their case at summary judgment or try the case and win at trial. In particular, she leads class/collective actions, multidistrict litigations, and other complex litigation in federal and state courts. As chair of the State Attorneys General Practice Group, Toni provides advice and counsel to clients with State Attorneys General matters, including investigations, inquiries and litigation.

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Photo of Daniel Leff Daniel Leff

Daniel Leff is an antitrust litigator, trial lawyer, and strategic advisor. As a former state assistant attorney general, he draws on his experience litigating complex, high-profile antitrust cases for clients involved in or anticipating litigation as both plaintiffs and defendants. Dan also counsels

…

Daniel Leff is an antitrust litigator, trial lawyer, and strategic advisor. As a former state assistant attorney general, he draws on his experience litigating complex, high-profile antitrust cases for clients involved in or anticipating litigation as both plaintiffs and defendants. Dan also counsels and advocates for companies seeking antitrust regulatory approval for mergers, acquisitions, and innovative business deals.

Dan joined Crowell from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO), where he served in the Office’s Antitrust Division. In that role, he worked hand-in-hand with enforcers from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the attorney general offices of nearly every U.S. state and territory to investigate and litigate merger, monopolization, and cartel matters.

His work with the AGO included successfully trying merger and Sherman Act § 1 cases in federal court. He was also a lead member of a plaintiff group comprising nearly every state attorney general office in the country in a large pharmaceutical price-fixing multidistrict litigation (MDL).

Dan also investigated, litigated, and settled numerous competition matters in industries including telecommunications, transportation, energy, agricultural products, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. Clients benefit from Dan’s experience in the Sherman, Clayton, and FTC acts and numerous state antitrust and consumer protection statutes, as well as his familiarity with the perspectives of state and federal enforcers across the country.

Dan began his career at Crowell, where he represented clients facing federal and state antitrust, consumer protection, and environmental scrutiny, primarily in the telecommunications and energy industries. He also previously worked for an international law firm in Boston, representing pharmaceutical and medical device companies facing federal civil and criminal investigations.

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  • Posted in:
    Administrative and Regulatory, Antitrust, Competition and Trade, Environmental and Climate
  • Blog:
    State AG Blog
  • Organization:
    Crowell & Moring LLP
  • Article: View Original Source

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