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Jan. 31, 2021
Attorney General William Tong today joined a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general in opposing a proposed class action settlement that would permit a mortgage servicer to profit from illegal payment processing fees charged to homeowners making normal mortgage payments online or by phone. The coalition filed a motion for leave to file an amicus brief, opposing the proposed settlement in Morris et al. v. PHH Mortgage Corporation, et al., where mortgage servicer PHH Mortgage Corporation and its predecessor corporation, Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC (collectively PHH), would be able to continue to profit from illegal processing fees the company has been charging to nearly one million homeowners nationwide, including 17,264 homeowners residing in Connecticut alone.
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Jan. 30, 2021
Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to Alden Global Capital requesting information about the hedge fund s potential acquisition of Tribune Publishing, the company that owns Connecticut s largest news organization, The Hartford Courant.
Subscribe I am deeply troubled by the reports that Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund with a history of decimating newspapers across the country, may be poised to take complete control of The Hartford Courant, Attorney General Tong said. The Courant is a crucial part of Connecticut s media landscape and has already withstood countless devastating cuts to its staff and operations since Alden acquired a third of Tribune Publishing in 2019. The Courant deserves an owner who will invest in the critical journalism they produce instead of making draconian cuts to line the company s own pockets.
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Jan. 31, 2021
Attorney General William Tong testified last week before the General Law Committee in support of two pieces of legislation sought by the Office of the Attorney General to strengthen the state s price gouging and data breach notification statutes.
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Data Breaches
An Act Concerning Data Privacy Breaches, House Bill 5310, was sought by the Office of the Attorney General to update and strengthen Connecticut s breach notification statute.
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In 2005, Connecticut passed one of the nation s first laws protecting consumers from online data breaches. Since then, technology and associated risks have evolved. The legislation seeks to broaden the definition of personal information to include additional categories such as medical information, online account information, passport numbers, military identification, and health insurance account numbers. The bill would also shorten the outside limit to which entities must notify individuals and the Office of
Replies(2)
Jan. 24, 2021
Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 23 attorneys general led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban menthol cigarettes. In a letter submitted today, the coalition asserts that a ban on menthol cigarettes would benefit public health overall, decrease youth smoking, and help mitigate the harm these products bring to minority populations.
Subscribe The FDA must act immediately to ban menthol cigarettes. The scientific research shows that menthol is a starting point for youth who begin smoking and become addicted and that these products disproportionately affect communities of color, Attorney General Tong said. We are supportive of the proposals in the Connecticut General Assembly to ban the sale of these products in-state and a federal ban would save thousands of lives and improve public health outcomes across the nation.