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 July 3-9, 2025:
Multistate
- A multistate coalition of 22 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in support of plaintiffs suing the U.S. Department of Labor for terminating Job Corps, a national career training program for young, low-income Americans. The brief seeks injunctive relief and argues that the Amici States will be irreparably harmed by the closure of nearly one hundred Job Corps centers across the country, which also provide housing to program participants.
- A multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general won a preliminary injunction blocking Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plans to restructure and reduce the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued an order enjoining HHS from implementing or enforcing any reductions in force or sub-agency restructuring, and requiring HHS to file a status report on or before July 11, 2025, apprising the court of their compliance.
- A multistate coalition of 17 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in Doe v. Noem, a lawsuit seeking to preserve parole processes for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The Amici States argue that the preliminary injunction issued by the district court should be upheld because the termination of "the parole status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants severely harms the public interest."
- A multistate coalition of 16 attorneys general filed a proposed amicus brief in Oregon v. United States DOGE Service, a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration's termination of federal funding for a variety of public humanities programs. The brief argues that the Amici States have and will continue to be irreparably harmed as they are "forced to terminate or furlough staff, cancel programming and events, and pull support for local libraries, schools, and families."
- A multistate coalition of 16 attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Education for terminating programs for mental health services in K-12 schools. The complaint seeks injunctive and declaratory relief, arguing that the termination of funding from these programs will harm children, lead to layoffs of mental health professionals, and will force states to terminate grant programs for graduate student training for school-based mental health services.
- The U.S. Department of Justice and a multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general defeated a motion to dismiss filed by Apple in an antitrust lawsuit filed in March 2024. The lawsuit alleges that Apple engaged in anticompetitive conduct by blocking apps that would make it easier to leave the Apple ecosystem; suppressing mobile cloud streaming services; excluding cross-platform messaging apps; diminishing functionality of non-Apple smartwatches; and by limiting third-party digital wallets, in addition to a host of other issues.
- A multistate coalition of 21 attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development challenging a proposed rule to rollback fair housing regulations prohibiting discrimination. The letter states that Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Regulations are critical to eradicate segregation and discrimination and argues that any rescission of these regulations would violate the Administrative Procedure Act and contravene the text and purpose of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
- A multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general filed an amicus brief to support a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for terminating the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program. The brief argues that the termination violates Constitutional separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act, and that the Amici States would be irreparably harmed as these funds were already slated to go to hundreds of non-profit organizations, dozens of cities and counties, and various Native American Tribes located within the States' borders.
Arizona
- Attorney General Kris Mayes filed civil complaints against New York Smoke Shop LLC, Pro Source Supply LLC, Pro Source Vapes LLC, and Pro Source CBD LLC (collectively, "Pro Source") for allegedly selling tobacco products to underage consumers in violation of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act. The two lawsuits seek civil penalties, disgorgement, restitution, and declaratory and injunctive relief.
Arkansas
- Attorney General Tim Griffin filed lawsuits against Boltz Steel Furniture and Community Builders for allegedly violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by failing to deliver promised goods and services to consumers. Both complaints seek restitution for consumers and civil penalties, some of which are enhanced because the victims were disabled or elderly. The suit against Boltz also seeks suspension or forfeiture of corporate charters or other licenses/permits/authorization to do business in Arkansas.
California
- Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a legal opinion on daily fantasy sports in response to a request from Assemblymember Tom Lackey. The report concludes that daily fantasy sports games (both "pick 'em" and "draft style" games) constitute sports wagering in violation of Penal Code section 337a, but declined to issue an opinion on whether these games also violate Penal Code section 319 et seq., which prohibits lotteries.
- Attorney General Bonta secured a $750,000 settlement from AwesomeCalls, a digital day trading chatroom, for allegedly giving investment advice without a license and for misleading consumers via false advertising in violation of California's Securities Law, False Advertising Law, and Unfair Competition Law. The settlement permanently enjoins AwesomeCalls from advertising or providing investment advice in California, and requires the company to provide the Attorney General with permanent, ongoing access to the chatroom to monitor compliance with the injunction.
- Attorney General Bonta announced a proposed $500,000 settlement with Attractive Gems Jewelers, a San Diego-based jewelry store accused of misleading consumers by engaging in deceptive lending practices in violation of California's Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law, as well as the federal Military Lending Act as many of the victims were military servicemembers. The settlement would also permanently enjoin Attractive Gems from continuing to falsely claim that store credit can be used to build credit, and would require the company to submit to ongoing monitoring for compliance.
Delaware
- Attorney General Kathy Jennings secured a $100,000 settlement from contractor Diamond Materials for unlawfully deducting wages from employees to pay for the contractor's membership in a contractor association. Diamond has agreed to immediately end these deceptive practices and is also paying restitution to affected workers. Investigations into related criminal activity are ongoing.
Florida
- Attorney General James Uthmeier announced investigations into RAD Diversified REIT, Inc., its subsidiaries, and its owners, for allegedly violating Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by failing to properly pay investors. Subpoenas were issued seeking information to corroborate consumer complaints.
Kentucky
- Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit against RealPage, Inc., and several landlord organizations for allegedly fixing prices in violation of federal antitrust law and Kentucky's Consumer Protection Act. The complaint seeks declaratory relief, civil penalties, disgorgement, and both temporary and permanent injunctive relief.
Massachusetts
- Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued citations against a contracting company, Franca Service, Inc., for allegedly violating Massachusetts' wage and hour laws and the Earned Sick Time Law by failing to pay overtime, misclassifying workers, failing to maintain proper payroll records, and failing to notify workers of an earned sick time policy. The citations seek restitution and civil penalties amounting to $744,244.
- Attorney General Campbell secured a $4.5 million settlement with three construction companies, Eurovia Atlantic Coast, LLC d/b/a Northeast Paving, Lane Construction Corporation, and Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., for allegedly violating the Massachusetts False Claims Act by engaging in public construction fraud and mispresenting completed work during an airport runway rehabilitation project. Beyond civil penalties, the settlement does not require any further action from the construction companies and does not constitute an admission of liability.
Michigan
- Attorney General Dana Nessel secured a $4.5 million settlement with six nursing homes and their parent companies, Villa Financial Services LLC and Villa Olympia Investment LLC, for allegedly providing substandard care to residents while accepting taxpayer funds via Medicaid. Villa denies all allegations, but agreed to enter a five-year quality-of-care Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the settlement.
Missouri
- Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to Grain Belt Express, LLC, a company currently engaged in around 50 eminent domain lawsuits in Missouri to take property for a speculative wind farm energy transmission line project. The CID states there is reason to believe that Grain Belt has violated § 407.020, RSMo, by using deception, fraud, false promise, misrepresentation, unfair practice or the concealment, suppression, or omission of material fact in connection with its energy project.
- Attorney General Bailey announced a lawsuit against Select Motor Company, LLC, for allegedly violating Section 301.210, RSMo, and the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA) by selling vehicles without providing titles. The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief in addition to restitution and civil penalties.
New Jersey
- Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin secured a consent order against FSS Armory, Inc., for violating New Jersey statutes N.J.S.A 2C:58-33—35 by failing to properly store and secure firearms that were subsequently stolen in a 2023 burglary. The consent order requires FSS to upgrade its security and to pay $125,000 in civil penalties.
Ohio
- Attorney General Dave Yost sued three businesses, Marioth Custom Construction, Weapon X Motorsports, and TS Relief Group and TS Holding Unlimited, in separate "failure to deliver" cases for allegedly deceiving consumers. Marioth allegedly violated the Consumer Sales Practices Act (CSPA) and the Home Solicitation Sales Act by accepting monetary deposits for home renovations and then failing to begin or complete those services; Weapon X allegedly violated the CSPA failing to deliver or refund auto parts and accessories; and TS allegedly violated the CSPA by delaying or failing to perform promised services to help negotiate cancellations of timeshares on behalf of consumers. All three suits seek restitution for consumers, as well as civil penalties and injunctive relief.
Washington
- Attorney General Nick Brown won a lawsuit against Labor Law Poster Service, a company accused of violating the Consumer Protection Act for nearly a decade by mass mailing deceptive solicitations to business owners, and of violating a 2016 court order for similar conduct. The court awarded $850,000 in consumer restitution and imposed a civil penalty of $7.4 million – the accumulation of a $12 penalty for each of the 600,000 mailers the company sent to consumers.
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