2020 Press Releases

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• 1/9/2020 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.

• 7/29/2020 AG Tong Secures Refunds and Assistance for Passion Play Tour

  Attorney General William Tong announced he has reached an agreement with NAWAS International Travel to provide refunds and rescheduled bookings for hundreds of consumers who had booked trips to view the 2020 Passion Play in Germany.

• 3/10/2020 Attorney General Tong Releases Guidance on Price Gouging Enforcement

  Attorney General William Tong today released the following statement and guidance on price gouging enforcement after Gov. Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies.

• 10/1/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces $300,000 False Claims Settlement with Columbia Dental

  ttorney General William Tong, the U.S. Department of Justice, and Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford today announced a $300,000 joint state/federal False Claims Act settlement with Columbia Dental, P.C., Columbia Oral Maxillofacial Imaging, L.L.C., and Abbas Mohammadi, D.D.S. (collectively, “Columbia Dental”), regarding overbilling for dental services and the use of uncertified dental assistants.

• 2/19/2020 CT Joins Lawsuit Against EPA Over Failure to Act on Ozone Pollution from Upwind States

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a new federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its failure to act – despite a court mandate -- on the problem of air pollution from upwind states that is harming Connecticut air and preventing the state from achieving compliance with federal Clean Air Act standards.

• 5/27/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces $82,500 False Claims Settlement With Brookfield Dentist

  Attorney General William Tong today announced an $82,500 civil False Claims Act settlement with Brookfield dentist Rawa Hassan regarding overcharges for dental restoration fillings the state alleges she did not provide.

• 7/16/2020 AG Tong Joins Coalition Opposing Trump Administration Effort to Gut Asylum Protections

  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general, led by California, in filing a comment letter opposing the Trump Administration’s attempt to gut the nation’s asylum system.

• 3/25/2020 AG Tong Urges Online Retailers to Rigorously Monitor Price Gouging

  Attorney General William Tong today issued letters to Amazon, Facebook, Ebay, Walmart, and Craigslist urging the online retailers to rigorously monitor price-gouging by sellers on their platforms.

• 5/22/2020 Federal Court of Appeals Court Strikes Down Immigration Court Ruling Denying Connecticut Resident the Benefit of a State Pardon

  On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed an immigration court decision that denied Richard Marvin Thompson the full benefit of his Connecticut pardon.

• 10/20/2020 AG Tong Joins 17 State Coalition Opposing Alabama's Attempt To Ban Curbside Voting

  Coalition Argues in Supreme Court That Curbside Voting is a Reasonable Option for Safe and Secure Voting Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

• 10/20/2020 Attorney General Tong Opposes “Zero Benefit” Trump Administration Plan to Lock In Dangerous Levels of Airplane Greenhouse Gas Emissions

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general filing comments opposing an unlawful Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan that would lock in dangerously high levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from airplanes.

• 10/1/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces False Claims Settlement with My Father, My Son Rehabilitation and Counseling Center

  Attorney General William Tong, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford today announced a $230,000 joint state/federal False Claims Act settlement with My Father, My Son Rehabilitation and Counseling Center LLC (MFMS) and its former owner, Chukwuemeka Okwuosa regarding illegal billing for psychotherapy services.

• 2/11/2020 Attorney General Tong Statement on T-Mobile/Sprint Merger

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement regarding court approval of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger.

• 8/10/2020 Attorney General Tong Moves to Block Trump Effort to Undermine Full, Fair Census Count

  Attorney General William Tong has joined a multistate coalition filing a motion to stop President Donald Trump’s efforts to illegally leave millions of immigrants out of the congressional apportionment base following the conclusion of the 2020 Decennial Census. President Trump last month issued an executive order seeking to exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment base-- the latest in the Trump Administration’s illegal maneuvers to manipulate the census count and congressional apportionment.

• 8/26/2020 AG Tong Joins 23 States in Supreme Court Brief Defending Nondiscrimination Laws and the Rights of Same-Sex Couples to be Foster Parents

  Attorney General William Tong today joined 23 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the City of Philadelphia’s nondiscrimination law and the right of same-sex couples to be foster parents.