Antitrust

This Department administers and enforces the Connecticut Antitrust Act, and has authority to enforce major provisions of the federal antitrust laws. The Department also relies on other federal and state laws to ensure the Attorney General’s overall responsibility to maintain open and competitive markets in Connecticut. Utilizing these statutes, we investigate and prosecute antitrust and other competition-related actions on behalf of consumers, businesses and governmental units. In addition, this Department provides advice and counsel on proposed legislation and various issues regarding competition policy. In the past few years, the Attorney General served as the chair of the Antitrust Committee of the National Association of Attorneys General and remains active within that organization.

Child Protection

This department, with over 40 attorneys, is dedicated to protecting the children of the State of Connecticut from abuse and neglect. This past year, the Child Protection Department successfully represented the Department of Children and families in thousands of juvenile court cases, to protect children who had been abused and neglected and help their placement in permanent safe homes. The department also successfully defended a number of appeals involving these children before the Appellate and Supreme Court.

Civil Rights / Torts

This department defends the state and its agencies, employees and officials in torts and civil rights cases brought at the Office of the Claims Commissioner and in the state and federal courts.

Collections & Child Support

This Department’s mission is to expeditiously collect monies owed to the state and to secure and enforce orders for the support of children. Its attorneys represent the Financial Services Center of the Department of Administrative Services in the recovery of public assistance benefits and costs of incarceration and provide representation in connection with collection activities of the Departments of Social Services, Revenue Services, Correction, Higher Education as well as John Dempsey Hospital, the Second Injury Fund, the Connecticut State University System, and the Secretary of State. In furtherance of its child support activities, the Department also provides legal services to the Department of Social Services Bureau of Child Support Enforcement and to the Support Enforcement Services division of the Judicial Branch pursuant to a cooperative agreement designed to satisfy the requirements of the federal Social Security Act and related state law.

Consumer Protection

The Consumer Protection Department protects Connecticut's consumers by investigating and litigating consumer protection matters under the authority of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act ("CUTPA") and other state and federal statutes.  The Department advises the Attorney General and the Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection on consumer protection matters and represents and defends the Department of Consumer Protection in court.  The Department also advocates on behalf of Connecticut's energy and utility ratepayers in state and federal fora.  In addition, the Department educates consumers on how to avoid becoming victims of unfair and deceptive trade practices and, where possible, mediates disputes.

Employment Rights

This department defends state agencies and state officials in employment related litigation and administrative complaints and provides legal advice and guidance to state agencies on employment issues. We are currently defending the state in numerous employment cases in the state and federal courts, as well before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.

Environment

This department represents the State and the people of Connecticut to ensure that the environment is protected for the benefit of the public health and welfare. This department provides advice and representation in state and federal administrative and court proceedings to the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Agriculture, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Connecticut Marketing Authority, and in court proceedings to the Underground Storage Tank Petroleum Cleanup Account Review Board.

Finance

The Finance Department provides legal services to state agencies that regulate insurance, banking, securities, as well as the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Department of Revenue Services, the Office of Policy and Management, the Bond Commission, and the Insurance Policy and Risk Management Board. Legal issues involving state regulation of the financial services industry form a major part of this Department’s work. In addition, this Department is responsible for enforcement of the master settlement agreement between the states, including Connecticut, and various participating tobacco product manufacturers and related tobacco issues.

Health and Education

The Health and Education Department represents a myriad of state agencies which include the State Department of Education, Department of Mental Retardation, University of Connecticut, and all other agencies that have an educational function. It represents the Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Psychiatric Security Review Board, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Commission on Medical and Legal Investigations overseeing the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Department of Public Health, Office of Health Care Access, and the various health licensing boards.

Health Care Fraud / Whistleblower /
Health Care Advocacy

This Department has three distinct units, as its title suggests. The Health Care Fraud Unit conducts investigations of Medicaid provider fraud. The Whistleblower unit reviews and investigates allegations by whistleblowers of improper behaviors of state employees, state agencies, quasi state agencies and large state contractors. The Health Care Advocacy Unit provides advisory assistance to consumers who have health care related problems, particularly those that involve health insurance and managed care coverage denials.

Privacy

The Privacy and Data Security Department handles matters related to the protection of Connecticut residents' personal information and data.  The Department enforces state laws governing notification of data breaches, safeguarding of personal information, and protection of social security numbers and other sensitive information. The Department is also responsible for enforcement of federal laws under which the Attorney General has enforcement authority, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Children's  Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).   In addition, this Department provides the Attorney General with advice and counsel on proposed legislation and other matters regarding privacy and data security, and it engages in extensive outreach to citizens and businesses on matters relating to data protection and privacy.

Public Safety & Special Revenue

This department represents the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, including the Division of State Police, the Division of Special Licensing and Firearms, the Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council; the Military Department; the Department of Correction; the Judicial Branch (particularly, lawsuits arising from the actions of the Judicial Marshals); and the Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Division. It also provides legal services and representation to a number of associated boards, commissions and agencies, including the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Division of Criminal Justice, the Division of Public Defender Services, the Office of Adult Probation, the Governor's Office (Interstate Extradition), the Statewide Emergency 9-1-1 Commission, the State Codes and Standards Committee, the Crane Operator's Examining Board, the Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, the Office of Civil Preparedness and State Marshal Commission.  The department also oversees the criminal prosecutions of persons charged with violations of the Home Improvement Act and related offenses.

Special Litigation

This Department represents the Governor, the Judicial Branch, the General Assembly, the Secretary of the State, the Treasurer, the Comptroller, the Auditors of Public Accounts, the State Elections Enforcement Commission, the State Ethics Commission, the State Properties Review Board, the Judicial Review Council, the Judicial Selection Commission, the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Handicapped and Developmentally Disabled Persons, the Accountancy Board, the Office of the Child Advocate, the Office of the Victims Advocate, the Commission on Children, and the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission. In addition, through its Public Charities Unit, the Department protects the public interest in gifts, bequests and devises for charitable purposes; and in cooperation with the Department of Consumer Protection, administers and enforces state laws regulating charities and professional fundraisers who solicit from the public.

Transportation, Housing & Public Works

The Transportation Department of the Office of the Attorney General provides representation for the following state agencies: Department of Transportation ("DOT"); Department of Public Works ("DPW"); Department of Administrative Services ("DAS"); Department of Motor Vehicles ("DMV"); Department of Information Technology ("DOIT"); Department of Economic and Community Development, Housing Matters ("DECD"); and the Connecticut Historical Commission. In addition, the Transportation Department provides representation for various occupational licensing boards within the Department of Consumer Protection ("DCP"). The representation of the foregoing state agencies/boards includes, but is not limited to, counseling and advice on legal issues, the prosecution or defense of lawsuits or claims in both federal and Connecticut courts, and before various administrative entities, including the defense of claims filed with the Office of the Claims Commissioner pursuant to Chapter 53 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

Workers' Compensation & Labor Relations

The Workers’ Compensation and Labor Relations Department represents the Treasurer as the Custodian of the Second Injury Fund, the Workers’ Compensation Commission and the Department of Administrative Services in its capacity as the administrator of the state employees’ workers’ compensation program, as well as DAS Personnel, the Labor Department, the Office of Labor Relations, the Office of Claims Commissioner, the State Employees Retirement Commission, the Teachers’ Retirement Board, and others. The department’s worker’s compensation staff represents the Second Injury Fund in cases involving potential liability of the Fund for workers’ compensation benefits and the State of Connecticut contested workers’ compensation claims filed by state employees, while the labor relations attorneys represent the Department of Labor in unemployment compensation appeals to the Superior Court. The department also represents the Department of Labor’s Wage Enforcement Division, collecting unpaid wages due to Connecticut employees. The department’s workers’ compensation attorneys and paralegals also spend significant time on third party tort-feasor cases that result in the recovery of money for both the state and the Fund, as well as handling a large number of appeals to the Compensation Review Board and on to the Appellate and Supreme Courts.