2020 Press Releases

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• 1/28/2020 Attorney General Tong Opens Unfair and Deceptive Practices Investigation into Former Landlord

  Attorney General William Tong today announced his office has opened an investigation into former Clay Arsenal Renaissance Apartments landlord Emmanuel Ku and whether his actions as owner constituted unfair or deceptive acts or practices in violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. Owned by Mr. Ku until last year, the 150-unit complex became notoriously unsafe, unsanitary, and virtually uninhabitable for its hundreds of residents.

• 1/23/2020 Attorney General Tong Files Amicus Briefs Opposing Massive Expansion of Expedited Removal Process, Fights to Protect Residents from Erroneous Deportation

  Attorney General William Tong joined two amicus briefs filed this week in the U.S. Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in opposition to Trump Administration efforts to vastly expand use of expedited removal proceedings. Expedited removal is a fast-tracked deportation process that denies access to legal representation, witnesses, or any meaningful opportunity to present evidence or a defense.

• 1/22/2020 AG Tong Announces Lawsuit to Block Release of 3D Printed Gun Files

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement after Connecticut and 20 other states filed a federal lawsuit (LINK TO COMPLAINT) challenging the Trump Administration’s effort to allow online release of 3D-printed gun files. These files would allow plug-and-play access to 3D-print unregistered, untraceable firearms that can also be very difficult to detect, even with a metal detector. Untraceable firearms are sometimes called “ghost guns.”

• 1/21/2020 Connecticut to Join Lawsuit to Prevent Release of 3D-Printed Gun Files

  Attorney General William Tong today announced Connecticut will challenge the Trump Administration’s new effort to allow 3D-printed gun files to be released on the internet, joining a coalition of 20 states led by Washington State in an upcoming federal lawsuit. These files would allow plug-and-play access to 3D-print unregistered, untraceable firearms that can also be very difficult to detect, even with a metal detector. Untraceable firearms are sometimes called “ghost guns.”

• 1/20/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Fight to Halt Immigration Arrests at State Courthouses

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general supporting Washington State's fight to halt ICE arrests of immigrants in and around state courthouses.

• 1/16/2020 Connecticut and New York Sue EPA over Continued Disregard of Smog Pollution

  Attorney General William Tong announced New York and Connecticut have filed a new suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for continuing to ignore its legal responsibility under the Clean Air Act to control upwind sources of pollution that create unhealthy ground-level ozone (commonly known as smog) in New York and Connecticut.

• 1/15/2020 Connecticut Sues to Block Federal Plan to Eliminate Food Assistance for Nearly 700,000 Struggling Americans

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a group of 15 attorneys general and New York City in a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from eliminating food assistance for nearly 700,000 Americans – including almost 26,000 people in Connecticut.

• 1/14/2020 Attorney General Tong Opposes Trump Administration Rule that Would End the Right of Student Workers to Bargain Collectively

  Attorney General William Tong this week joined a coalition of 12 other attorneys general from across the country calling on the Trump Administration to withdraw a proposed rule that would deny student teaching and research assistants at private colleges the right to organize and bargain collectively.

• 1/13/2020 Attorney General Tong Leads Multistate Settlement with Paypal Charitable Giving Fund

  Attorney General William Tong announced today a multistate agreement with PayPal Charitable Giving Fund, Inc. that will ensure donors receive adequate information and disclosures when making charitable contributions through the company’s online fundraising platform. The settlement concludes a multistate investigation launched in 2017 and co-led by Connecticut and Nebraska.

• 1/13/2020 Attorney General Tong, Commissioner Seagull Remind Consumers of January 22 Deadline to File Initial Claim in Equifax Data Breach Settlement

  Attorney General William Tong and Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull are reminding the over 1.5 million Connecticut residents affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach that the deadline to file an initial claim is Wednesday, January 22, 2020.

• 1/12/2020 An Open Letter from Attorney General William Tong on his First Year in Office

  One year ago, I raised my right hand and took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the state of Connecticut, and to faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Attorney General. It has been my honor and privilege each and every day since then to lead the 313 men and women of this office— our 215 skilled and dedicated attorneys, as well as paralegals, investigators, assistants and more who represent the State and Connecticut's families on the front lines of our legal system.

• 1/9/2020 Attorney General Tong, Governor Lamont Announce Breakthrough Sheff v. O'Neill Settlement

  Attorney General William Tong and Governor Ned Lamont today announced a breakthrough settlement in the Sheff v. O'Neill case, placing the state on a pathway to end 30 years of litigation over how best to reduce racial isolation of Hartford students. The landmark settlement will bring more opportunities to Connecticut students to attend diverse schools, and greatly expands opportunities for Hartford students.

• 1/8/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Amicus Brief in Support of State of Rhode Island in its Lawsuit to Hold Big Oil Accountable for Costs of Climate Change

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 13 states in filing an amicus brief supporting the State of Rhode Island in its lawsuit State of Rhode Island v. Shell Oil Products Co., LLC, et al., which seeks to hold oil and petroleum companies accountable for their actions contributing to climate change and the resulting harms, including from sea-level rise, changes to the hydrologic cycle, and increased air and ocean temperatures.

• 1/2/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Coalition Seeking Supreme Court Review of ACA Repeal Case

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a California-led coalition of 20 states and D.C. in filing a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision in Texas v. U.S. The decision held the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional and called into question whether the remaining provisions of the ACA could still stand, including those that protect and provide coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions. Because this decision causes uncertainty that may harm the health of millions of Americans, and severely impact doctors, clinics, patients, and the healthcare market, Attorney General Tong and the coalition are petitioning the Supreme Court to take up the case and resolve it before the end of the Court’s current term in June.

• 1/1/2020 Attorney General Tong, Secretary of the State Merrill, DCP Commissioner Seagull, and Better Business Bureau Warn Businesses: Don’t Fall Victim to Fraudulent Mailings

  Attorney General William Tong, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, and the Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut are urging residents to be wary of deceptive mailings that solicit Connecticut businesses, particularly small business owners, to purchase an unnecessary “certificate of legal existence.”