RELEASE: ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES NEXT STEPS IN GROCERY PRICING INQUIRY
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 30, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES NEXT STEPS IN GROCERY PRICING INQUIRY
Grocery Costs Remain Stubbornly High as Trump Administration Denies Lifeline to Hundreds of Thousands in Connecticut
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong sent
a letter to five of the top food distributors with footprints in Connecticut, expanding the state’s inquiry into unaffordable grocery prices that have remained stubbornly high since initial spikes during the COVID pandemic.
Attorney General Tong first launched the inquiry into Connecticut grocery prices in 2024 at the request of state legislators seeking to understand the root causes of price spikes, to assess whether price gouging or other unfair practices were contributing to
the high costs, and to inform policymakers seeking to address affordability and food access in Connecticut.
In a letter today to legislative leaders, Attorney General
Tong shared background on the inquiry, descriptions of the information sought, the responses and discussions in response, conclusions based on the information gathered to date, and next steps to address and understand persistently high food prices in Connecticut.
To date, based on information provided and discussions with the grocers, the inquiry has identified no immediately apparent evidence of illegal pricing at the retail level. Evidence reviewed indicates the need to expand the inquiry up the supply chain to understand
more fully additional pricing pressures and to assess whether anyone in those roles may have unfairly profited.
“No one needs a report to see that grocery prices are way too high and that Connecticut families are getting squeezed. Our inquiry has found no obvious evidence to date of price gouging by Connecticut retail grocers, only that they are likely getting squeezed
by the same unsustainable market forces hurting consumers. This includes supply chain disruptions due to conflicts abroad, bird flu outbreaks, rising costs of business, and now the needless added pressures of Trump’s illegal and unconscionable suspension of
SNAP benefits, tariffs wars and immigration raids that will only make all our lives more unaffordable. We are continuing our inquiry up the supply chain and will not hesitate to use the full weight of our enforcement authority against any unlawful profiteering
and federal overreach harming consumers,” said Attorney General Tong.
Price Gouging in Connecticut
During civil preparedness and public health emergencies, price gouging is against Connecticut law. Acting in coordination with the Department of Consumer Protection, the Office of the Attorney General may file suit against price gougers and seek appropriate
relief, including injunctive terms, restraining orders, restitution, and civil financial penalties designed to deter future unscrupulous sales. Until recently, the price gouging statute applied only to retail sales. Attorney General Tong successfully sought
legislation this past session to expand the price gouging statute to distributors, wholesalers and others up the supply chain.
There is currently no active civil preparedness or public health emergency; the price gouging statute is not triggered at this time.
Grocery Prices in Connecticut
The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated supply chain disruptions, shortages, and major price hikes throughout the American markets, including at the food retail level. While the pandemic abated, grocery prices remained stubbornly high across the country, including
in Connecticut.
Those trends were documented in a report by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) in March 2024 that was inconclusive as to the causes of persistent high food prices. Based on the findings in the FTC staff report, coupled with significant public concerns about
the cost of food for Connecticut families, and discussions with legislators, the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General sent inquiries to retailers representing ten grocery chains in in Connecticut. The Office of the Attorney General initially requested
information about the wholesale cost and corresponding retail price for nine commonly purchased food items between March 2019 and June 2024. These staple items were beef, chicken, bread, milk, eggs, bananas, apples, carrots and almonds. In addition, the Office
of the Attorney General asked for “private label” prices for eggs and milk. The review sought to identify profit trends and anomalies over time which would suggest one or more retailers took in extraordinary profits based solely on the unprecedented crisis
caused by the COVID-19 virus.
Retailers also shared their perspectives relative to conditions and factors contributing to rising prices, including higher costs for transportation fuel, increased security, labor and energy costs. Retailers also described conditions linked to the pandemic,
including supply shocks and shortages impacting contracts with suppliers. Retailers also reported the impact of bird flu outbreaks and fires in poultry facilities impacting egg prices. Retailers also flagged rising wheat prices tied to Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine.
Food retailers historically operate with low profit margins. The food
retail industry reports that since 2019, its margins have been between 1% and 3%. Such low profit margins leave little room for food retailers to absorb price increases passed down from their suppliers and still operate at a profit. Data reviewed by the
Connecticut Office of the Attorney General indicates that after the COVID-19 pandemic began, retailers continued to follow the low profit-margin business model. The Office of the Attorney General did not identify evidence of enhanced or extraordinary profit
margins at the retail level indicative of price gouging in violation of Connecticut law.
Additional Factors Impacting Grocery Prices
Data gathered for this review was received prior to the Trump Administration’s imposition of sweeping tariffs impacting numerous aspects of the grocery supply chains. Due to the timeline of this review, this report did not seek to analyze the impact
of tariffs on Connecticut grocery prices, although those costs and impacts to businesses and consumers have been widely reported. Nor did this analysis seek to assess the widely reported impact of the Trump Administration’s immigration
enforcement actions on the agricultural labor supply and the cost of domestic food production.
Further, the report was drafted prior to the Trump Administration’s unlawful and unconscionable suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown, leaving 42 million Americans to shoulder
the rising cost of groceries without vital federal assistance. Thus far in 2025, an average of approximately 366,000 people received SNAP benefits in Connecticut each month, including approximately 215,000 families and 120,000 children. Households in Connecticut
receive on average $324 per month in SNAP benefits to meet their basic subsistence and nutritional needs. Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general and three governors sued on Tuesday and are seeking a temporarily restraining order
to immediately force release of the funds.
These combined factors will undoubtably increase pressures on Connecticut families and businesses, and will made it all the more imperative that Connecticut as a state explore every possible avenue to drive down costs and protect our economic interests.
Next Steps
Although the Office of the Attorney General found no immediate evidence of illegal pricing at the retail level, there remains more work to do to investigate potential price gouging behavior. The evidence reviewed indicated the need to expand our inquiry to
other parties further up the food supply chain to determine whether anyone in those roles inappropriately realized outsized profits during the last state of emergency.
Letters sent today request meetings with the executives of five major to discuss factors impacting persistently high food prices in Connecticut. The letters also seek information on another factor contributing to price increases—shrinkflation. a strategy used
by manufacturers which involves reducing the size or quantity of a product while the price remains the same. Attorney General Tong previously sought legislation to require suppliers to provide a clear and conspicuous notice for at least twelve months when
reducing the quantity, amount, weight or size of a product without making a corresponding reduction to price.
###
Elizabeth Benton
860-214-0937 (cell)
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Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 31, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON ORDER IN SNAP BENEFITS CASE
Federal Judge Issues Order Directing USDA to Use SNAP Contingency Funds
(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement after a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued an order finding that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency funds to fund the program during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The Court also found that if the contingency fund cannot fully fund the program in November, then the federal government must consider other, additional funding sources. USDA has until the end of the day on Monday to let the Court know whether it will fully or partially fund the SNAP program.
“This decision leaves no room for doubt— USDA can and must release the contingency funds and stop weaponizing hunger for political advantage. Donald Trump now has a stark legal and moral choice before him— he can keep fighting this losing battle, he can insist on starving American families for political leverage, or he can release the funds now,” said Attorney General Tong.
The order comes after Attorney General Tong joined a coalition of 26 states in suing the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP benefits in a manner that is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. Today’s order makes clear that USDA must use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits. The federal Administration has indicated that the funds will not be enough to cover the cost of November SNAP for all 50 states, and the order puts the ball in the federal government’s court. The federal government must tell the Court by Monday, November 3, whether it will utilize other funding sources beyond the SNAP contingency fund to ensure that 42 million Americans do not risk going hungry in November.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 3, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG TO MAKE LEGAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING TRUMP/MCMAHON’S CRUEL AND UNLAWFUL CONDITIONS ON LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS
(Hartford, CT) – At 5 p.m. on Monday, November 3 at the Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General William Tong will be joined by teachers, nurses, doctors, firefighters, labor leaders and legislators as he makes a major legal announcement regarding new illegal conditions sought by President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon on billions of dollars in student loan forgiveness for public servants.
WHAT: Attorney General Tong legal announcement regarding U.S Department of education effort to restrict Public Service Loan Forgiveness
WHO: Attorney General William Tong, Congressman Joe Courtney, Dr. Cara Delaney, UConn Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias, Jody Barr, Executive Director of the AFSCME Council 4, Peter Brown, Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association President, Gian-Carl Casa, President & CEO of the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance, State Rep. Gregg Haddad, State Rep. Corey Paris, State Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, State Sen. Derek Slap, State Sen. Matthew Lesser
WHEN: 5 p.m., Monday, November 3
WHERE: Office of the Attorney General, Visitor Entrance Lobby, 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 3, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON TRUMP CHOICE TO PARTIALLY FUND SNAP AND WEAPONIZE HUNGER FOR POLITICAL GAIN
Attorney General Tong will be available to discuss this development at the previously scheduled press conference at 5 p.m. today at the Office of the Attorney General
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding the decision made today by the United States Department of Agriculture to use only contingency funds to partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the shutdown, furthering President Donald Trump’s cruel strategy to weaponize hunger for perceived political advantage.
After a coalition of 26 states sued the Trump Administration for its unlawful decision to suspend SNAP benefits, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts ruled Friday that USDA must use its contingency funds to provide benefits during the shutdown. USDA had until the end of the day today to report to the Court whether it would partially or fully fund the SNAP program, using additional available funds that have been tapped during prior shutdowns.
“Donald Trump is purposely and illegally starving American families for political leverage. We sued to force him to release these contingency funds—paid for by taxpayers and obligated by Congress to help Americans buy food at a time when grocery prices are already out of control. Because of our lawsuit, these dollars now will make their way to EBT cards, and that is important relief for the 366,000 people in Connecticut relying on these funds to eat. But this is not close to good enough. Donald Trump is weaponizing hunger and intentionally inflicting pain on American families. He can end this cruelty right now. He can make sure SNAP is fully funded right now. We are evaluating all legal options to fully free these funds,” said Attorney General Tong.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 3, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO BLOCK PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS RESTRICTIONS
(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong and 21 other attorneys general today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for unlawfully restricting eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows government and nonprofit employees to have their federal student loans forgiven after ten years of service. The attorneys general are challenging a new federal rule that would deem certain state and local governments or nonprofit organizations ineligible employers for PSLF if the federal government determines they have engaged in actions with a substantial illegal purpose – in practice, activities, or actions that are disfavored by the administration. The coalition argues that the sweeping new rule is unlawful and targeted to punish states and organizations that the administration does not like.
“Donald Trump and Linda McMahon want to impose an illegal MAGA litmus test on billions of dollars in loan forgiveness for public servants. Engage in protest? Loan forgiveness yanked. Care about immigrant families? No loan forgiveness for you. Believe in the promise of diversity or support LGBTQ+ kids? Yanked. These are teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and others on the front lines of our communities who would have the promise of aid reversed after years of following the rules and doing the right thing. This is cruel, this is wrong, this is against the law, and we’re suing to stop it,” said Attorney General Tong.
“This unnecessary punitive rule is cruel and misguided— favoring loyalty to Trump over hard work and dedication to public service. We must keep our promises to Connecticut teachers, police officers, and other public servants who have earned loan forgiveness through years of sacrifice and caring for people,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
“No one should be faced with a lifetime of debt because they decide to pursue a higher education. Democrats and Republicans came together to create the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program in Congress, to help make college more affordable and encourage young people to give back when they graduate. Our troops, teachers, and first responders shouldn’t have the aid they were promised put at risk because Donald Trump wants to make a political point. Connecticut won’t stand by and let this president weaponize every lever of power to silence dissent. I am proud to stand with Attorney General William Tong to challenge this cruel and illegal plan to bully our public servants into going along with the MAGA agenda," said Congressman John Larson.
“PSLF has been bipartisan from the start when Congress created the program and President Bush signed it into law in 2007. Now, President Trump and Secretary of Education McMahon are redefining which public service jobs are eligible for PSLF based on the Administration's own politics,” Congressman Joe Courtney said. “My office has heard from many people in public service professions who worked hard, followed the rules, but were still denied PSLF relief they were promised due to a lack of guidance and clarity from the Department of Education. Politicizing PSLF eligibility will throw public servants into even greater uncertainty and harm organizations that are filling critical service gaps in our communities. It also undermines Congressional intent and our promise to nurses, teachers, firefighters, and more public servants. I've led a coalition of my colleagues in opposition to politicizing PSLF, and I will continue fighting to make PSLF more transparent, fairer, and easier for America’s public service workers."
“The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, also known as PSLF, rewards firefighters, nurses, educators, law enforcement officers, and people who work at organizations serving our communities,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. “To qualify, borrowers must work at least ten years in a public service-oriented role, full time, while making regular payments on their loans. PSLF is not a handout – but a thank you to those Americans who dedicate their lives to public service when they could choose more lucrative careers in the private sector. These are working and middle-class Americans who keep our communities running. Instead of fighting to lower their costs and make life more affordable, the Trump administration has once again chosen to leave these Americans behind while the wealthy continue to get ahead. He is weaponizing the PSLF program to silence dissent and consolidate his power. This is unacceptable and illegal – I am grateful for Connecticut Attorney General William Tong for taking the fight to court to protect this program for public servants.”
“If nonprofits can’t attract and retain quality employees, they can’t provide services on which people depend. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is one way to help them stay and to send a message that they are appreciated, that their decision to serve others rather than chase personal profit is a choice our society values. No matter the rationale, depriving organizations of eligibility will hurt them, and it would send them a message that they are just cannon fodder in battles over social issues. We appreciate AG Tong’s and his colleagues’ fight for them,” said Gian-Carl Casa, President & CEO of the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance.
“Educators dedicate their lives to serving students, strengthening communities, and shaping the future of our nation—often while not receiving a competitive salary and carrying a heavy burden of student debt. Student loan forgiveness is a promise made to those who choose to work as educators, medical professionals, and in other public service careers. The new rules restricting loan forgiveness are unfair and just another attempt to penalize educators and other public servants. We stand together to fight this illegal federal overreach. Educators deserve respect, relief, and the ability to teach freely—without political interference or financial punishment,” said Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias.
“Arbitrarily excluding employers will hurt borrowers actively participating in PSLF, including teachers, nurses, first-responders, and employees of not-for-profit organizations who will now be left to wonder whether their years of service will count towards loan forgiveness,” said Michelle Jarvis-Lettman, Connecticut Student Loan Ombudsperson.
The PSLF program was established by Congress in 2007 to provide financial incentives to those who dedicate their careers to the service of others. The program forgives borrowers’ remaining federal student loan debt after ten years of qualifying public service and consistent payments. Over the years, PSLF has enabled more than one million public servants to pursue careers that might have otherwise been out of reach. For state governments, PSLF is a critical tool to recruit and retain qualified professionals in vital fields like education, health care, and law enforcement. According to the Connecticut Student Loan Ombudsperson and based on information provided by the U.S. Department of Education in July, 11,840 Connecticut borrowers have had their loans forgiven through PSLF. As of July, there were an additional 12,500 borrowers enrolled.
On October 31, ED finalized a new rule granting itself the power to unilaterally declare entire agencies or organizations ineligible employers for PSLF if the administration determines they have a “substantial illegal purpose.” The rule includes only a very limited definition of such “illegality,” which includes activities that support undocumented immigrants, provide gender-affirming health care to transgender youth, promote diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and engage in political protest. The rule is scheduled to take effect in July 2026.
Attorney General Tong and the coalition warn that this vague new authority could have devastating consequences nationwide. Countless public workers could suddenly lose PSLF eligibility through no fault of their own. States could be forced to confront severe staffing shortages, higher turnover, and skyrocketing costs to maintain essential services.
The coalition’s lawsuit argues that ED’s new rule is flatly illegal. The PSLF statute guarantees loan forgiveness for anyone who works full-time in qualifying public service; it does not grant ED discretion to carve out exceptions based on ideology. They assert that the rule’s vague “substantial illegal purpose” standard is arbitrary and capricious as it gives the Department unfettered power to target specific state policies or social programs while exempting federal agencies from scrutiny.
The attorneys general are asking the court to declare the rule unlawful, vacate it, and bar the Department of Education from enforcing or implementing it.
Joining Attorney General Tong in filing this lawsuit, which was led by the attorneys general of New York, Massachusetts, California, and Colorado, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. A group of private plaintiffs and local governments is also filing a lawsuit today to block the implementation of the new rule.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SECURES FINAL RULING BLOCKING ILLEGAL CONDITIONING OF TRANSPORTATION GRANT FUNDING
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today secured a permanent injunction from the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island blocking the Trump Administration’s effort to unlawfully impose immigration enforcement requirements on billions of dollars in annual U.S. Department of Transportation grants. The final ruling follows multistate litigation and a preliminary injunction. In issuing a permanent injunction, the Court found that the Trump Administration has “blatantly overstepped their statutory authority, violated the APA, and transgressed well-settled constitutional limitations on federal funding conditions. The Constitution demands the Court set aside this lawless behavior.”
“Donald Trump tried to condition billions of dollars in transportation funds on a series of irrational immigration demands. It was dumb and dangerous, and we just beat him again in court,” said Attorney General Tong. “We need safe, functioning highways, railways and airways. That’s one of the most basic functions of government. The fact that Donald Trump would imperil that shows just how little he cares about the safety of American families.”
Connecticut receives billions of dollars in grant funding from the Department of Transportation to support and maintain the roads, highways, railways, airways, and bridges that connect our communities and carry our residents to their workplaces and their homes. This includes funding to maintain and build highways. It also includes funding for transit systems in urban and rural communities across the state — including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys, and ferries. Neither the purpose of these grants, nor their grant criteria, are in any way connected to immigration enforcement.
A copy of the court’s decision is available here.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SEEKS TO HALT TARIFFS IN LANDMARK CASE AT U.S. SUPREME COURT
(Hartford, CT) – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in a landmark case challenging the federal government’s use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs. Connecticut and a coalition of 11 other states filed the lawsuit, which tests whether the President exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“American families are bankrolling Trump’s irrational and erratic tariff war, and none of us can afford for this lawless overreach to continue. Trump lost in the Court of International Trade. He lost in the Court of Appeals. He’s wasting our money and inflicting lasting damage on our economic and world standing by continuing to push this fight. It’s time for the Supreme Court to stand up to this president, protect the rule of law, and stop this damaging economic war for good,” said Attorney General Tong.
Background
On April 23, 2025, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont filed the suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade.
The case challenges the President’s use of IEEPA to impose broad tariffs on imports, arguing that statute does not delegate Congress’s tariff powers under Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
• The tariffs at issue included sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly all imports, as well as targeted tariffs affecting Canada, Mexico, and China, among others.
• In May 2025, the United States Court of International Trade ruled in favor of the states, finding the tariffs exceeded the President’s authority under IEEPA.
• The federal government appealed against that ruling. On August 29, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed that ruling—finding the President’s tariff orders went beyond the statutory grant of authority and were therefore unlawful.
• The Supreme Court agreed to expedited review of the Federal Circuit decision.
The Supreme Court’s ruling will determine whether the President can unilaterally impose tariffs under emergency powers and what limits the Constitution places on executive trade authority.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT REGARDING PURA FINAL DECISION INCREASING YANKEE GAS RATES BY $82 MILLION
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding the final decision issued today by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority increasing rates for Yankee Gas customers by $82 million. Yankee Gas is owned by Eversource.
Yankee Gas had sought a $193 million rate hike. If approved in full, the request would have forced the average customer to approximately pay an additional $43 per month on their gas bills. Today’s final decision increases rates by approximately 11.4 percent, or about $15 per month for the average residential customer. A prior draft decision would have authorized a $56 million increase, or about $9 more per month for the average residential customer.
“This is more disappointing news for Connecticut families heading into an already expensive winter heating season. Once again, the utilities are being rewarded with a multi-million dollar rate hike after running their chief regulator out of town through relentless litigation and personal attacks. These costs are unsustainable and I’m going to keep pushing back in every single one of these rate cases to make sure Connecticut families aren’t paying a penny more than absolutely necessary,” said Attorney General Tong.
Yankee Gas has 222,800 residential customers, 28,000 commercial customers, and 1,500 industrial customers across 85 towns in Connecticut.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 6, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ENTERS INTO SETTLEMENT IN FIRST ACTION UNDER CONNECTICUT'S STUDENT DATA PRIVACY LAW
Illuminate Exposed Personal Information of Millions of Students in New York, California, and Connecticut
Settlements Require Illuminate to Significantly Improve Data Security to Protect Students’ Data
(Hartford, CT) - Attorney General William Tong along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that they have secured a total of $5.1 million from educational technology company Illuminate Education, Inc. (“Illuminate”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Renaissance Learning, Inc., for failing to protect students’ data. Illuminate provides software to schools and school districts across the country to track students’ attendance and grades and to monitor students’ academic, behavioral, and mental health development. In 2022, Illuminate experienced a data breach that exposed the personal information of millions of students, including 28,610 students in six school districts in Connecticut. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General found that Illuminate failed to implement basic security measures to protect students’ data, including failing to monitor for suspicious activity on their platforms. As a result of today’s settlements, Illuminate must take steps to enhance and strengthen its cybersecurity practices as well as pay $5.1 million in total.
Today’s action is the first such settlement reached under Connecticut’s Student Data Privacy Law, which was enacted in 2016 and amended in 2017 and 2018. Among other things, the law requires online educational providers to maintain data security measures that meet or exceed industry standards and that are designed to protect student data from unauthorized access or disclosure.
“Technology is everywhere in schools today, and Connecticut’s Student Data Privacy Law requires strict security to protect children’s information. Illuminate failed to implement basic safeguards, and exposed the personal information of millions of students, including thousands here in Connecticut. This action—Connecticut’s first ever under the Student Data Privacy Law—holds Illuminate accountable and sends a strong message to education technology companies that they must take privacy obligations seriously,” said Attorney General Tong.
“Students, parents, and teachers should be able to trust that their schools’ online platforms are safe and secure,” said Attorney General James. “Illuminate violated that trust and did not take basic steps to protect students’ data. Today’s settlements will ensure that Illuminate protects students’ data in classrooms across the country. My office will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect children online.”
“Illuminate failed to appropriately safeguard the data of school children, resulting in a data breach that compromised the sensitive data of students nationwide, including more than 434,000 California students. Our investigation revealed a troubling pattern of security deficiencies that should have never happened for a company charged with protecting data about kids,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s settlement should send a clear message to tech companies, especially those in the education space: California law imposes heightened obligations for companies to secure children’s’ information. I am grateful to Attorney General James and Attorney General Tong for their partnership in investigating companies that fail to safeguard our residents’ data. Data security concerns know no borders, and as today’s settlements showcase, neither should state collaboration.”
In December 2021, hackers were able to access one of Illuminate’s online accounts using the credentials of a former employee who had left the company years earlier. The hackers then downloaded unencrypted database files containing the information of 28,610 students in six Connecticut school districts. The student information included student names, birth dates, student ID numbers, and demographic information.
The Office of Attorney General determined that Illuminate had failed to employ reasonable data security practices designed to protect students’ personal information.
As a result of today’s settlements, Illuminate must pay $5.1 million, of which Connecticut will receive $150,000 where 28,610 students were impacted; New York will receive $1.7 million where 1.7 million students were impacted; and California will receive $3.25 million where 3 million students were impacted.
Illuminate is also required to adopt measures to better protect students’ personal information, including:
1. Reviewing and conforming all contracts with Connecticut school districts to comply with the Student Data Privacy Law.
2. Employing specific safeguards, including maintaining data inventories, minimizing data and limiting data retention to its specific purpose;
3. Employing proper access controls and authentication;
4. Performing data security risk assessments and penetration tests;
5. Establishing a right to delete data;
6. Monitoring vendors;
7. Obtaining an information security assessment from the third-party assessor.
Assistant Attorneys General John Neumon and Kileigh Nassau, as well as Deputy Associate Attorney General and Privacy Section Chief Michele Lucan, assisted the Attorney General in this matter.
For more information on the Student Data Privacy law, please see: Student Data Privacy
Click here for Connecticut's filing.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 6, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG FILES EXPANDED COMPLAINT AGAINST ALTICE, DETAILING $39.1 MILLION IN BAIT-AND-SWITCH JUNK FEES CHARGED TO CONNECTICUT CONSUMERS
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today announced an expanded complaint against Altice/Optimum Online, detailing how the company’s deceptive advertisements intentionally misled Spanish speakers and unlawfully reaped at least $39.1 million in bait-and-switch “Network Enhancement” junk fees from Connecticut consumers.
The complaint alleges numerous violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and seeks penalties and disgorgement of all revenues achieved through unfair and deceptive acts and practices.
“Altice lied to their customers, and we are holding them accountable. Altice advertised lifetime deals, while knowingly burying hidden junk fees that raked in at least $39.1 million in added costs. They inexcusably and shockingly sought to mislead Spanish-speaking consumers with Spanish-language marketing featuring buried disclosures in English-language fine print. We’ve received huge numbers of complaints from frustrated and misled consumers. Today’s amended complaint brings additional damning details to our claims and shows that we are prepared to aggressively pursue this case to ensure fair, honest service for Connecticut consumers,” said Attorney General Tong.
Since at least January 2019, Altice has charged Connecticut consumers a monthly “Network Enhancement Fee,” which has increased over time from $2.50 per month to $6.00 per month. In total, Altice has collected at least $39.1 million from Connecticut consumers through the fee, over and above the regular monthly Internet service charge. For new customers, the fee was not disclosed up front, and appeared only in the shopping cart after a consumer selects an Internet service. Altice has claimed without evidence that the fee is necessary to “maintain and improve the network”—a basic business function that customers already pay for in the base rate. Altice is unable to point to any specific, identifiable benefit that subscribers received in exchange for paying the fee. The fee is instead a deceptive mechanism to conceal a price increase while advertising artificially low prices.
The amended complaint highlights multiple deceptive advertisements. In one August 2019 ad, Altice pushed a $64.99 “price for life” for its Altice One + Internet product. The company stated: “Get the lifetime deal that actually lasts a lifetime. Switch to Optimum and get Altice One + Internet for $64.99/mo. FOR LIFE! That means $64.99 will always be $64.99, not for one year or two years, but for as long as you are customer.” But that was untrue. The price was in fact $64.99 plus the Network Enhancement Fee, which increased from $2.50 to $6.00 per month.
Customers were not happy. One complained to the Office of the Attorney General reporting that he signed up for Optimum with a “price for life” and then noticed the fee. He reported he was never informed that Altice “could make up new fees and increase the price anyways.”
“The NEF is not an additional monthly charge or fee that consumers might expect, or choose, to pay. It is not a tax or government fee that Defendant must pass on to a regulatory body. It is not a charge for an extra product like a Wi-Fi extender or modem. It is a charge added on by Altice, at Altice’s discretion, that all consumers had to pay each month, for which they received no identifiable benefit in exchange, and about which they were not straightforwardly notified,” the complaint states.
The complaint further details deceptive and misleading Spanish-language marketing. In Spanish-language advertisements, Altice promised deals and fast service. While the offer and selling points are all in Spanish, the Network Enhancement Fee, equipment charges and other factors that could lower the “super-fast” speed Altice advertised were all buried in English fine print.
The Office of the Attorney General first launched its investigation into Altice Optimum in November 2022, following more than 500 consumer complaints regarding hidden fees, poor technical support, and slow internet speeds.
This complaint follows a settlement reached in August 2022 with Frontier Communications following review of over 1,400 consumer complaints regarding equipment returns, poor internet quality, unsatisfactory customer service, and excessive charges.
Assistant Attorneys General Rebecca Quinn, Katherine Hagmann-Borenstein, Caroline McCormack, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section, are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 6, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ASKS COURT TO COMPEL TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO DELIVER FULL SNAP BENEFITS
(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in filing a response to the federal government’s decision to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the 42 million Americans relying on it. Under the federal government’s current plan, SNAP benefits would only be partially funded using the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) SNAP contingency fund. The coalition argues that the federal government has created chaos and delay with the roll-out of partial benefits, has the money to fully fund the program, and is legally required to do so.
“We are back to court today to force Donald Trump to fully fund SNAP and to stop the President from purposely and illegally starving American families for political leverage. He has the funds and the authority to fully fund SNAP today. He can do this right now. But he is choosing to bog this down in needless red tape and overly complicated calculations because he wrongly believes maximizing pain is good for his politics. This is cruel, this is wrong, and we’re asking the court to end this chaos and force Trump to what he should have done from day one—fully fund SNAP and get American families the help they need immediately,” said Attorney General Tong.
In their brief, the coalition argues that USDA’s unacceptable delays and needlessly complicated calculation of reduced benefits is untenable and unlawful. It is clear that issuing full benefits is the only way to prevent further irreparable harms to states and their residents. As such, the coalition is asking the Court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order compelling the federal government to pay full benefits.
The coalition’s brief comes as part of an ongoing lawsuit joined by Attorney General Tong against the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP benefits in a manner that is both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Benton, Elizabeth
Attorney General William Tong released the following updated statement after a Rhode Island federal court judge in a separate case ordered the Trump Administration to fully release November SNAP benefits by Friday.
“Donald Trump must fully fund SNAP—right now. He could have done this from the start. He had the funds and he had the authority, but he was willfully and cruelly choosing to starve American families for political leverage. We sued, cities sued, non-profits sued, and we now have a decisive court order requiring full SNAP benefits by Friday. This is a decisive defeat for Trump and his callous political games and a major win for families across this country,” said Attorney General Tong.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 7, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG OPPOSES TRUMP’S LATEST ATTEMPT TO WITHHOLD FULL SNAP BENEFITS
(Hartford, CT) –Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 26 states opposing the Trump Administration’s request to block a court order to deliver full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to the millions of Americans relying on them. The federal government’s motion, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, comes after a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fully fund November benefits by today.
“Donald Trump is intentionally starving American families for political leverage. He has the funds. He has the authority. He even has a court order compelling him to fully fund SNAP right now. But he’s not because he thinks hurting families helps him politically, because he’s always wanted that money for tax breaks for billionaires, and because he just doesn’t care. We’re fighting in court on every front to free these funds as quickly as possible so that people can eat,” said Attorney General Tong.
Attorney General Tong and the coalition filed an amicus brief in Rhode Island State Council of Churches, et al., v. Rollins, et al., arguing that USDA has the money to fully fund this program and should do so immediately to prevent further harm to states. They argue USDA’s needlessly complicated calculation of reduced benefits has sown chaos in states and if they are forced to carry out this plan, it would create substantial, unlawful delays in getting benefits to recipients. The coalition also explains that the loss of SNAP benefits has a ripple effect on other state services, as increased food insecurity creates a strain on state safety net programs, and healthcare and educational institutions.
The attorneys general argue that due to the federal government’s resistance to meeting their legal obligations to fully fund the SNAP program, American families are struggling to meet their most basic needs. These harms to states will continue unless immediate full payment of SNAP benefits is issued. Attorney General Tong and the coalition urge the Court to deny the federal government’s motion for a stay.
Joining Attorney General Tong in filing this amicus brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, and the Governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 10, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SEEKS TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM DEMANDING STATE "UNDO" SNAP BENEFITS
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong shortly after midnight sought
a temporary restraining order to block the Trump Administration from demanding that states “undo” Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits already paid out to millions of Americans.
“Donald Trump wants us to take food off the plates of Connecticut families who finally just now got the chance to eat. Undo food stamps? Those funds were out the door on Saturday, and families were in the grocery stores all weekend. We’re fighting this one
to the bitter end,” said Attorney General Tong. “Trump’s actions have been unconscionable, unlawful and erratic, and states like Connecticut had a moral imperative and legal right to act quickly to get funds out the door. Trump never had the authority
to deny SNAP, and he doesn’t have the authority now to retaliate against states for doing our job.”
Connecticut and 26 states sued the Trump Administration on October 28 in Massachusetts federal court for unlawfully and arbitrarily suspending SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans during the government shutdown. Separately, a coalition of non-profits and
municipalities, including the City of New Haven, filed a similar challenge in Rhode Island federal court. In both cases, the courts have ruled against Trump and issued rulings directing payments to resume either in part using contingency funds, or in full.
The Trump Administration initially presented a series of unworkable bureaucratic calculations for awarding partial benefits, then later, in response to additional court actions, said they would issue full benefits. Then, after appealing to the Supreme Court
and receiving a temporary stay of the lower court orders, the Trump Administration once again reversed course. Guidance has shifted seemingly by the hour, with millions of American families left unsure of how they would afford to eat.
Relying on guidance at the time, Connecticut and other states quickly processed full SNAP benefits. In Connecticut, approximately 366,000 families then received their full November benefits on Saturday, averaging $324 per month and totaling $72 million. Then,
late Saturday, the Trump Administration shifted course once again, issuing a memo ordering states not to seek full benefits. For those who already did, the memo stated: “States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November
2025.” The memo further threatened that “failure to comply with this memorandum may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative costs and holding States liable for any overissuances that result
from the noncompliance.”
The filing seeks a court order to block the Trump administration from carrying out these threats.
Joining Attorney General Tong in tonight’s filing were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Minnesota, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi,
Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 10, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG TO RUGER OVER RXM PISTOL SAFETY RISKS: "I WILL NOT HESITATE TO ENFORCE THE LAW"
Machine Gun Conversion Devices Enable Ruger Pistols to Become Illegal, Fully Automatic Weapons
(Hartford, CT) – In a letter
today to Southport-based gun manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co., Attorney General William Tong raised grave public safety concerns regarding the company’s semi-automatic pistols that can be easily converted using machine gun conversion (MCD) devices into
illegal fully automatic weapons as fast or faster than those deployed by the military.
The letter cites new authority granted to the Office of the Attorney General this year through the Connecticut Firearms Industry Responsibility Act, which permits the state to bring civil enforcement actions against gun manufacturers, distributors, marketers
and retailers who fail to implement reasonable controls to prevent the sale of firearms to straw purchasers, firearm traffickers, individuals prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law or individuals the firearm industry member has reasonable
cause to believe intend to use it for a crime or to cause harm to themselves or others. The statute specifically requires the industry to enact reasonable controls to prevent the sale or distribution of a firearm product designed in a manner that is reasonably
foreseeable to promote conversion of a legal firearm into an illegal firearm. The letter also cites authority under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.
“Ruger is on notice. They know, we know, and criminals know that their RXM pistol can be easily converted to an illegal, lethal fully automatic weapon. They can modify their product to be safer, or they can continue to profit from crime and violence and answer
to a lawsuit,” said Attorney General Tong.
Machine gun conversion devices are a threat to public safety in Connecticut. In 2023 (the latest full year for which complete data is available), the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives traced 31 such devices in Connecticut in connection
to law enforcement investigations. The Hartford Police Department reported recovering 53 machine gun conversion devices. Pistols transformed by these devices have shown up across Connecticut in public parks, residential neighborhoods, city streets, and a hospital.
Gun safety advocates Everytown for Gun Safety have compiled a list
of numerous violent incidents in Connecticut connected to the machine gun conversion devices, including:
-In 2023, the devices were used by attackers to ambush and murder two men on a front porch in Hartford.
-In 2024 in Hartford, 20-year-old mother and her four-month-old son were shot and killed by a man with a pistol equipped with an MCD. Another person was also shot and injured.
-A man was injured and gunfire struck nearby apartment buildings in a New Haven shooting committed with two pistols, one modified to fire as a machine gun.
-A man was shot in the back while sitting in his Bridgeport kitchen, collateral damage from a gang shooting using an MCD equipped handgun.
-In a Hartford raid, police recovered 6,363 bags of fentanyl, 1 kilogram of cocaine, 119 grams of crack cocaine, and sixteen handguns, including three modified with MCDs to fire automatically.
In the face of lawsuits, it has been reported that Glock will discontinue certain pistol models and update modifications to new pistol models to make it more difficult to attach conversion devices. A second company, Shadow Systems, is expected to follow suit.
In contrast, Ruger continues to highlight the ease of which its pistols can be modified.
Noting serious concerns with Ruger’s design and marketing practices, the letter seeks a statement from Ruger regarding its plans for the RXM, and asks that the company preserve for future production all documents related to the conversion of its semiautomatic
handguns into automatic weapons, use of its converted weapons in violent crime, marketing materials, financial materials, their knowledge of Glock’s actions, awareness of their legal responsibilities and more.
“If the RXM can be easily converted to a machine gun by the attachment of an MCD, and videos my Office has seen indicate that it can, Ruger’s pursuit of profits over safety may be in violation of FIRA and CUTPA, by failing to enact reasonable controls to prevent
the sale of legal firearms that can be easily converted to illegal firearms,” Attorney General Tong states in the letter. “I have grave concerns with Ruger’s design and marketing practices, and I will not hesitate to enforce our laws when they are violated,”
he states further.
Assistant Attorney General Rebecca Quinn, Legal Intern Grace Craven and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 13, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG OPPOSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TO DRAMATICALLY EXPAND EXPEDITED DEPORTATIONS WITHOUT DUE PROCESS
Expansion of expedited removal is a threat that bypasses due process, denying individuals their right to a fair legal hearing
(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in opposing the Trump Administration’s legally flawed effort to dramatically expand “expedited removal” into the interior of the United States and put untold numbers of Americans at risk for unlawful detention and deportation without due process. With expedited removal, a deportation can be carried out in little more than a matter of hours or days. The individual does not see a judge or have access to other safeguards that most Americans take for granted as a matter of basic justice. In an amicus brief in Make the Road New York v. Noem, the attorneys general urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to uphold a district court’s order temporarily halting this dramatic expansion of expedited removal, which stands in opposition to more than a century of precedent holding that those who have entered the U.S. are protected under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. As the U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized, the Constitution protects all persons in the U.S. from the deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Deportation can be among the most severe and consequential deprivations of liberty an individual can experience — it can mean loss of one’s home, family, and for some, life itself.
“Move fast and break things should never apply to families, lives, or our Constitution. The Trump Administration is making terrible errors everywhere. They are erroneously detaining and deporting American citizens, ripping families apart, ignoring grave and legitimate asylum claims, and shackling people on one-way flights to horrific foreign jungle prisons. The legal protections guaranteed by our Constitution cannot be erased on the whims of an erratic and impatient President,” said Attorney General Tong.
The Trump Administration is expanding the use of expedited removal to allow federal officials to deport undocumented immigrants from anywhere in the U.S. under a fast-tracked process that does not allow for access to legal representation, witnesses, or a meaningful opportunity to present evidence and defenses. Initially, expedited removal occurred only at the border, and later it was authorized to be applied to undocumented individuals who were apprehended within 14 days of arrival in the U.S. without inspection and within 100 miles of the border. Now, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is allowing expedited removal proceedings to deport undocumented immigrants living anywhere in the U.S. if the individuals cannot establish, to the satisfaction of a rank-and-file immigration officer, that they have continuously resided in the country for at least two years. This decision is then final without any further hearing or review. Immigration officers already hold substantial authority. Their power to deport will be unchecked with the expansion of expedited removals, and the incentive to seek mass arrests through sweeps and raids will only grow.
Even before the expansion, there were instances of mistakes and abuses documented in the execution of expedited removal. Now, immigration officers are being asked to make even more complicated determinations than when expedited removal was just used in close proximity to the border. In a nation with a population of more than 340 million, immigration officers must accurately identify the small fraction who are not citizens and who have been continuously present in the U.S. for less than two years—meaning mistakes are only likely to increase. Already, as the Trump administration has carried out large-scale sweeps and raids, there have been reports of U.S. citizens and others with lawful status being chased, manhandled, arrested, and detained, sometimes for days. And concerns have mounted that who gets targeted depends more than anything else on factors like race, the language one speaks, and the type of work one does.
In their brief, the attorneys general note that an expansion of expedited removals will inflict serious harm on the states’ families, communities, and the economy. Already some community members are afraid to leave their homes, even for basic necessities like food or to go to church. Additionally, more than 5.5 million U.S. born children live in mixed-status households. These children are at risk of severe mental health challenges, material hardship, or even placement in the foster care system. The risk of expedited removal, and the resulting lack of due process, may also discourage immigrants from reporting crime or seeking needed medical care, negatively affecting public safety and health. The economic impacts are just as staggering. If the President’s mass deportation campaign continues, the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) could decline as much as 7.4% by 2028, prices could rise by 9.1%, and tens of thousands of U.S. workers could lose their jobs.
In filing the amicus brief, Attorney General Tong joins the attorneys general of California, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
A copy of the brief is available here.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT FOLLOWING BANKRUPTCY COURT CONFIRMATION OF $7.4 BILLION PURDUE SETTLEMENT
Connecticut to Receive up to $64 million for Opioid Treatment and Prevention, and Direct Support to Victims and Their Families
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong announced today that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has confirmed the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan, approving a $7.4 billion settlement between 55 attorneys general, Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler Family.
The settlement resolves litigation against Purdue and the Sacklers for their role in the creating and worsening the opioid crisis across the country.
“Today’s confirmation permanently exiles the Sackler Family from the addiction industry and ensures that their name be forever synonymous with greed, shame and devastation. There is no amount of money, no amount of justice that will ever make whole the lives lost, and families destroyed by the Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma’s craven pursuit of profit. What we have today is a $7.4 billion promise to every victim, every family and every community that we will never stop fighting for them, and that we will use every opportunity from this settlement to save lives through treatment and prevention, as well as direct support to victims and their families,” said Attorney General Tong.
Under the Sacklers’ ownership, Purdue made and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling the largest drug crisis in the nation’s history. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and their ability to sell opioids in the United States. Communities across the country will directly receive funds over the next 15 years to support addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery. This settlement in principle is the nation’s largest settlement to date with individuals responsible for the opioid crisis. Connecticut’s state and local governments will receive as much as $64 million from this settlement over the next eight years.
Most of the settlement funds will be distributed in the first three years. The Sacklers will pay $1.5 billion and Purdue will pay roughly $900 million in the first payment, followed by $500 million after one year, an additional $500 million after two years, and $400 million after three years.
Attorney General Tong will continue to urge that a significant portion of these early payments be used to fund a trust for direct support for survivors of the opioid epidemic, as well as family members of victims and survivors, as was agreed to in the settlement ultimately upended by the Supreme Court.
In addition to delivering $7.4 billion to address the opioid crisis, the settlement reflects the end of the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and bars them from selling opioids in the United States.
The settlement will make public more than 30 million documents related to Purdue and the Sacklers’ opioid business. The document repository will now also contain documents relating to compliance with the 2007 State Attorneys General Consent Judgments, and after six years will make public documents subject to the waiver of privilege.
Connecticut first filed suit against Purdue and individual members of the Sackler family in 2019, alleging that the company and family peddled a series of falsehoods to push patients toward its opioids, reaping massive profits while opioid addiction skyrocketed. Connecticut expanded and amended that suit later in 2019 to add additional defendants and allegations, including the fraudulent transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars from Purdue Pharma to the Sacklers to shield their wealth from accountability.
Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in September 2019. In 2021, the bankruptcy court approved an inadequate Purdue bankruptcy plan that granted a lifetime legal shield to the Sackler family, unlawfully blocking states like Connecticut from pursuing claims against the family. The plan required the Sackler family to pay $4.3 billion over nine years to the states, municipalities and plaintiffs that sued the company. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia objected to and ultimately appealed the plan. The United States Trustee, an arm of the Department of Justice, also appealed.
In December 2021, the U.S. District Court vacated the Purdue bankruptcy order, agreeing with the dissenting states that the bankruptcy court lacked authority to force states to release their claims against the Sackler family.
The District Court decision paved the way for Attorney General Tong and the eight other dissenting states to negotiate a new settlement forcing Purdue and the Sacklers to pay $6 billion to victims, survivors and states, to permanently exit the global opioid business, and to force the Sacklers to reckon face-to-face with victims and survivors at a public hearing.
That $6 billion settlement was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, sending the states back to mediation in an even stronger position.
Connecticut, along with New York, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia led the bipartisan team that negotiated this settlement.
Members of the Sackler family included in the settlement include the eight heirs of Purdue founders Raymond and Mortimer Sackler who served on the Board of Purdue: Richard, Kathe, Mortimer Jr., Ilene, David, and Theresa Sackler; and the estates of Jonathan and Beverly Sackler. In addition, their associated trusts, advisers, and most of their children and heirs are also included.
Connecticut has led nationwide efforts to secure more than $50 billion nationwide to combat the opioid epidemic, including $600 million for Connecticut alone to support treatment, prevention, and recovery. That money has begun to flow.
Connecticut’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, comprised of health professionals, individuals with lived experience, and state and municipal leaders is responsible for allocating and accounting for opioid settlement funds.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON PURA DENIAL OF NEW AQUARION WATER AUTHORITY THAT WOULD HAVE DOUBLED CONSUMER BILLS
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today praised a decision by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to deny the sale of Aquarion Company to a new nonprofit that would have doubled household bills and gut public oversight of water utility rates and consumer protections.
Attorney General Tong had urged PURA to reject the transaction.
“This deal was a costly loser for Connecticut families and PURA was right to reject it,” said Attorney General Tong. “Eversource desperately wanted to offload Aquarion, and they concocted this maneuver to extract as much cash as possible by guaranteeing the new entity free reign to jack up rates. Eversource is free to find a new buyer, but should understand that any new attempt to end public regulatory oversight over water bills for hundreds of thousands of Connecticut families is going to be a non-starter here.”
Aquarion Company and its Connecticut subsidiaries, Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut (AWC-CT) and Torrington Water Company (TWC), is currently by far the largest water company in the state, serving approximately 722,000 people in 62 municipalities across Connecticut.
Aquarion is currently owned by Eversource. As a corporate-owned public utility, it is regulated by PURA, which has authority to set rates and scrutinize its service. In 2023, PURA rejected Aquarion’s bid to raise rates by nearly 30 percent. The company appealed and the Connecticut Supreme Court recently largely affirmed PURA’s decision.
Eversource sought to offload Aquarion and to reap funds from the sale and shed its obligations while saddling Connecticut families and businesses with the long-term costs and consequences. The move would have converted Aquarion into a nonprofit entity called the Aquarion Water Authority (AWA), which would have shared resources with the South Central Regional Water Authority (RWA), including a CEO, CFO, board, and board committees.
Nonprofit utilities, such as the RWA and proposed AWA, are governed not by PURA but by their own board, comprised of representatives from the towns they serve. The board, making decisions for both the RWA and AWA in this proposed transaction, must either accept or reject a rate request in its entirety, with no ability for line-item adjustments as before PURA. Not once has RWA’s board ever rejected a rate hike request. While the Office of the Attorney General and Consumer Counsel both aggressively advocate on behalf of ratepayers before PURA, the RWA selects its own consumer advocate and sets the advocate’s pay.
Aquarion did not hide its intentions to raise rates. The application projected annual rate increases between 6.5 percent and 8.35 percent annually through 2035, with even more rate hikes expected every five years after. Those plans could have much as much as doubled water bills for Connecticut families over the next decade.
Assistant Attorneys General Caroline McCormack and John Wright and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section assisted the Attorney General in this matter.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES $7 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH LARGEST U.S. LANDLORD OVER ALGORITHMIC PRICING SCHEME
(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong today joined a bipartisan coalition of nine states in filing a proposed $7 million settlement to resolve claims against Greystar Management Services LLC as part of the coalition’s ongoing enforcement against algorithmic coordination and other anticompetitive practices in rental markets across the country. Greystar reached a non-monetary settlement with the United States Department of Justice this August.
“When the largest landlord in the entire United States rigs the market with unfair and anticompetitive algorithms, it jacks up costs for everyone, everywhere. Today’s settlement begins to restore fairness to this broken system. We’re continuing to press our case against RealPage and other bad actors in the industry, and we will use the full weight of our law enforcement authority to give families a fair chance at an affordable home,” said Attorney General Tong.
Greystar, the largest landlord in the United States, manages nearly 950,000 rental units nationwide. As alleged in the complaint, Greystar and other landlords, including five co-defendants, shared competitively sensitive data to generate pricing recommendations using RealPage’s algorithms. Greystar and other landlords also discussed competitively sensitive topics—including pricing strategies, rents, and selected parameters for RealPage’s software—directly with each other.
In addition to the monetary payment to the states, the proposed consent decree, if approved by the court, would require Greystar to:
• Refrain from using any anticompetitive algorithm that generates pricing recommendations using its competitors’ competitively sensitive data or that incorporates certain anticompetitive features;
• Refrain from sharing competitively sensitive information with competitors;
• Accept a court-appointed monitor if it uses a third-party pricing algorithm that is not certified pursuant to the terms of the consent decree;
• Refrain from attending or participating in RealPage-hosted meetings of competing landlords; and
• Cooperate with the coalition’s claims against RealPage.
The case against RealPage and the remaining five landlords, Blackstone’s LivCor LLC; Camden Property Trust; Cushman & Wakefield Inc and Pinnacle Property Management Services; Willow Bridge Property Company LLC, and Cortland Management LLC is ongoing.
Joining Attorney General Tong in reaching this settlement were the attorneys general of North Carolina, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Tennessee.
Assistant Attorney General Julián Quiñones and Deputy Associate Attorney General/Chief of the Antitrust Section Nicole Demers assisted Attorney General Tong in this matter.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES $714,446 FALSE CLAIMS SETTLEMENT WITH DENTISTS OVER PROHIBITED PATIENT RECRUITING FEES
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today announced a $714,446 joint state and federal settlement with Dent Plus Family Dentistry, L&M Family Dentistry and owners Ivan Makar and Oleg Losin, resolving allegations that the dental practices violated state and federal False Claims Act statutes through prohibited fees paid to a “patient recruiting” company.
Dent Plus was based in Stamford and L&M was in New Haven. Both practices are now dissolved.
This is the sixth settlement arising from ongoing joint civil investigations with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the federal Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation into alleged kickback-tainted claims for services rendered to Connecticut Medicaid patients referred by third-party patient recruiting companies.
From January 1, 2019, through September 6, 2020, Makar and Losin were enrolled in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (“CMAP”), which includes the Connecticut Medicaid program. During that time, Makar and Losin are alleged to have paid a third-party patient recruiting company $135 for each Connecticut Medicaid patient the company referred to them, whenever a patient received dental services over and above routine preventative care (such as dental cleanings and exams). The State of Connecticut and the United States contend that the alleged conduct was prohibited by the federal anti-kickback statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b), as well as the CMAP provider agreement and the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership (“CTDHP”) provider manual.
“Paying kickbacks for patient recruitment is illegal. Dentists participating in Connecticut’s public healthcare programs are responsible for knowing the law. This is the sixth settlement arising from ongoing joint investigations, and we will continue to work closely with our state and federal partners to aggressively protect the integrity of our public healthcare programs,” said Attorney General Tong.
Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Government Fraud Section at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.f...@ct.gov; the Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 860-258-5986 or by email at con...@ct.gov; or the Connecticut Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email to provider...@ct.gov.
Assistant Attorney General Joshua L. Jackson, Legal Investigator Timothy Edwards, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Gregory O’Connell, Chief of the Government Fraud Section, assisted the Attorney General in this matter.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 21, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG WINS LAWSUIT STOPPING ELIMINATION OF FOUR VITAL FEDERAL AGENCIES
Court Bars Trump Administration from Dismantling Federal Agencies Supporting Libraries, Museums, Minority-Owned Businesses, Workers, and Services for the Unhoused
(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong announced today that Connecticut has won a lawsuit protecting four federal agencies from being illegally dismantled by the Trump administration. The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island today granted a motion for summary judgment brought by Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general. In April, Attorney General Tong joined the coalition in suing the administration to stop the implementation of an Executive Order that would dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The court’s order permanently blocks the administration from eliminating these four agencies.
“Another resounding defeat for Donald Trump and his lawless, erratic efforts to hijack taxpayer dollars and defund our state,” said Attorney General Tong. “Donald Trump tried to defund summer reading programs and audiobooks for disabled veterans. We sued, we stopped him, and we’re going to keep fighting and we’re going to keep winning against these lawless efforts to dismantle our government.”
In April, Attorney General Tong and the coalition sued to stop the administration’s elimination of three federal agencies:
• IMLS, which supports museums and libraries nationwide through grantmaking, research, and policy development;
• MBDA, which promotes the growth and inclusion of minority-owned businesses through federal financial assistance programs; and
• FMCS, which promotes the peaceful resolution of labor disputes.
In May, Attorney General Tong and the coalition secured a preliminary injunction stopping the administration from implementing the Executive Order, which sought to dismantle these three agencies. In June, the coalition filed an amended lawsuit seeking to protect another agency targeted by the same Executive Order, USICH, which coordinates the federal government’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness nationwide.
Attorney General Tong and the coalition argued in the lawsuit that the Executive Order’s elimination of all four agencies violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by attempting to override Congress. The president does not have the power to unilaterally eliminate federal agencies created and funded by Congress, and he cannot arbitrarily and suddenly cease agency programs. In its decision on the motion for summary judgment, the District Court sided with Attorney General Tong and the coalition, ruling that the administration’s actions were unlawful, and barred the administration from taking any future actions to carry out the Executive Order’s elimination of the four agencies.
The Connecticut State Library receives $2.2 million in annual funding from IMLS, supporting the salaries of 13 Connecticut workers and programs across Connecticut providing support for early literacy and summer reading, support for veterans and military families, access to eBooks and audiobooks, among other programs. Federal funding supported 8,827 summer reading programs across Connecticut used by 229,470 children and teens last year alone. Loss of federal funding could have an immediate impact on summer reading programs for 2025. More than 5,500 Connecticut patrons rely on federally-funded accessible audio and braille books, including 316 veterans. Federal funding enables free access to more than 50,000 eBooks for all Connecticut residents.
This lawsuit was brought by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 24, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON DISMISSAL OF SHAM INDICTMENT OF NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding dismissal by a federal judge of sham charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“This case was a chilling abuse of prosecutorial power, and its dismissal is a victory for the rule of law and our justice system. Donald Trump sought to commandeer the justice system to bully and silence one of his most formidable opponents. This is a humiliating defeat for Donald Trump and his hand-picked legal team. This was wrong, and if they have any respect for our justice system and our democracy this embarrassing vendetta will end now,” said Attorney General Tong.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES OVER HUD POLICY THAT WOULD PUT MORE PEOPLE INTO HOMELESSNESS
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to stop the Trump Administration from illegally upending supports for tens of thousands of Americans experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.
The lawsuit, filed today by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania seeks to block drastic and unlawful changes to the Continuum of Care grant program that would dramatically reduce the amount of grant funds that can be spent on permanent housing and project renewals and place new unlawful conditions on access to the funding. These requirements include that providers only recognize two genders, mandate residents accept services as a precondition to obtain housing, and punish providers in localities that do not enforce strict anti-homeless laws, all barriers that are in contrast to HUD’s previous guidance and Congress’ approval.
Previous changes to the grant conditions have been incremental to not disrupt providers’ ability to provide housing and to budget for their programs well in advance. These wholesale changes will create administrative chaos and likely result in thousands losing housing.
“These drastic and cruel changes will throw people out of their homes and back onto the streets. These are rules based on memes and sound bites with zero respect or understanding of what it takes to provide safe and stable housing. The Trump Administration cannot make new rules up as they go along, and we’re suing to stop them,” said Attorney General Tong.
“It is with sincere gratitude that I thank Attorney General Tong and our state partners for pursuing this case against the federal government,” said DMHAS Commissioner Nancy Navarretta. “But, it is also with profound disappointment that we must file suit again to ensure safety net services for the people of Connecticut. The proposed changes by HUD would endanger the housing and services of the 2,300 individuals we serve at DMHAS as we enter the winter weather and at critical inflection points in their engagement in services. Further, the policy changes accompanying the funding component would rewind the clock on effective, evidenced-based practices in favor of confinement. We have decades of proof: involuntary treatment and punitive criminal justice approaches drive trauma, not recovery. Connecticut is a national leader on these issues and we cannot endanger the progress we have made through the decades”.
“HUD’s action to cap federal Continuum of Care programs is an attempt to gut the housing system that exists to support thousands of Connecticut residents and is a direct attack on the rights and liberties afforded to us all as citizens. If allowed to stand, HUD’s policy will deliver an effective cut of 70 percent to the permanent housing and support services. We should be bringing people indoors, not kicking them out into the cold, and we thank Attorney General Tong for the swift and decisive action he is taking today to save the backbone of the federal homelessness response system here in Connecticut,” said Sarah Fox, Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is turning the Housing First policy on its head by slashing renewals, forcing providers to jump through needless ideological hoops, and punishing localities that refuse to adopt draconian anti-homeless laws. That’s not only unlawful, it’s cruel. In Connecticut, we’ve seen how stability in funding and services leads to people getting back on their feet. We will not stand by while this administration recklessly undermines that progress, and we thank Attorney General Tong and our sister states in holding HUD accountable,” said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas.
“These changes by this federal administration and HUD to the Continuum of Care program are not only cruel, but will have real consequences for thousands of residents experiencing housing instability. This is particularly concerning to me as temperatures begin to drop, and housing becomes even more vital. I thank the Attorney General for once again holding this administration accountable for their unwarranted cruelty,” said Rep. Kadeem Roberts, Chair of the End Homelessness Caucus.
“The new guidelines the Federal Administration is seeking to enforce puts the lives of thousands at risk and deliberately strips the dignity from people simply because they are unhoused. We know that changing our systems of care at this fundamental a level undoes decades of important work and we cannot allow that to happen,” said Housing Committee Co-Chair Rep. Antonio Felipe.
“In Connecticut, access to safe, stable housing isn’t optional, it is a right. I stand behind AG Tong’s effort to challenge the cuts to federal housing assistance programs. Thousands of our families will lose their housing. We must fight these cuts with urgency and be unapologetic. I thank AG Tong for his leadership,” said Housing Committee Co-Chair Sen. Martha Marx.
For decades, HUD has helped local and regional coalitions plan and coordinate housing and services for people experiencing homelessness through Continuum of Care grants, which were created by Congress. Providers pair these grants with other funding sources and rely on the predictability and continuity of the grants to support the unhoused.
HUD has a longstanding policy of encouraging what is known as a “Housing First” model that provides stable housing to individuals without preconditions like sobriety or a minimum personal income. These policies are proven to improve housing stability and public health while reducing the costs of homelessness to individuals and their communities.
Previously, HUD has directed approximately 90% of Continuum of Care funding to support permanent housing, but the agency’s new rule – which Congress never authorized – would cut that by two-thirds for grants starting in 2026. Similarly, HUD has long allowed grantees to protect around 90% of funding year to year – essentially guaranteeing renewal of projects to ensure that individuals and families living in those projects maintain stable housing. But HUD has slashed this figure, too, to only 30%. These new policies virtually guarantee that tens of thousands of formerly homeless people in permanent housing nationwide will eventually be evicted through no fault of their own when the funds aren’t renewed.
Additionally, HUD is planning to withhold funds to applicants that acknowledge the existence of trans and gender-diverse people, de-prioritize services to people with mental health issues or substance-use disorder, and discriminating against localities whose approach to homelessness differs from the administration’s.
The complaint alleges HUD violated its own regulations by not engaging in rulemaking before issuing the changes and violated the law by not receiving congressional authorization for these new conditions, many of which are directly contrary to congressionally passed statutes and HUD’s own regulations. The plaintiffs also argue that HUD’s actions are arbitrary and capricious several times over, as HUD has made no effort whatsoever to explain the abandonment of their own longstanding policies or consider the obvious consequences of tens of thousands of vulnerable people being suddenly evicted. The agency explicitly encouraged grantees to implement Housing First policies and to focus on the particular needs of LGBTQ+ individuals as recently as last year.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG PUSHES BACK ON POTENTIAL STATE AI LAW BAN
(Hartford, CT) – Today, Attorney General William Tong and a bipartisan coalition of 36 attorneys general wrote to Congress to oppose efforts to ban state laws that address artificial
intelligence. Public
reporting over the past few days indicates that lawmakers may insert a state AI law ban into a military funding bill. A bipartisan group of attorneys general, including Attorney General Tong, successfully opposed a similar ban over the summer. The federal
government hasn’t enacted comprehensive protections against AI, so state laws fill the void to protection people against the harmful uses of AI.
“This legislation is a handout to Big Tech seeking free reign to reshape our society with zero oversight or accountability. Attorneys general are united in staunch opposition to any effort to restrain states’ abilities to pass commonsense AI regulations to
fill the vacuum left by federal inaction,” said Attorney General Tong.
The attorneys general acknowledge that AI is a transformative technology that will benefit people in health care, public safety, and other ways, but attorneys general are also on the front lines of confronting the dangers of AI. Recent reporting has shown how
AI is distorting
reality and enhancing delusions for some vulnerable users, targeting
senior citizens with convincing grandparent scams, having inappropriate
conversations with children, and in the worst cases, reinforcing and encouraging self-harm and suicidal ideations in children and adults.
A ban on state AI laws could be catastrophic for people’s safety. Various states have enacted laws to protect their residents from the dangers of AI, including laws that prohibit AI tools that spread misinformation to voters, allow robocallers to spam people
with scam phone calls and texts, deceive consumers about products on the market, compromise data privacy, and use algorithms to manipulate and raise costs.
Attorney General Tong has also pushed companies to create stronger AI protections. Earlier this year, attorneys general demanded that Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and AI tech companies adopt safeguards against predatory artificial intelligence assistants and chatbots
that have inappropriate conversations with children. Attorney General Tong has also demanded that search engines, banks, and payment platforms take steps to prevent people from profiting off of or creating and sharing deepfake nonconsensual intimate images.
Instead of a harmful prohibition on state AI laws, the attorneys general are asking Congressional leaders to work with them on a substantive effort to create federal protections against harmful AI.
Attorney General Tong is joined in sending this letter to Congress by the attorneys general of American Samoa, Arizona, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, and Wisconsin.
A copy of the letter is available here.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG CALLS ON SHOPIFY TO CRACK DOWN ON E-CIGARETTE SALES
(Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the City of New York in sending a letter to Shopify Inc., urging the
company to take stronger action against merchants using the platform to sell illegal tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify describes
itself as “a commerce platform that helps you sell online and in person” and explains that “[e]ntrepreneurs, retailers, and global brands use Shopify to make sales, run stores, and grow their businesses.” Despite Shopify’s policies that prohibit merchants
from using its services for unlawful activities, merchants continue to use Shopify’s services to sell illegal e-cigarettes.
The letter is the latest action by Attorney General Tong to address sales of bootleg nicotine products. Flavored nicotine products are largely manufactured and imported illegally into the United States from China. The companies who manufacture and distribute
these products have failed to participate in the FDA’s mandated marketing order process, and these products are considered adulterated and unlawful for sale. This has not stopped the proliferation of these products. Last January, Attorney General Tong announced
an investigation into 12 Connecticut smoke shops and convenience stores and two wholesalers found selling highly potent, illegally imported disposable e-cigarettes flavored and designed to appeal to youth. That investigation is active and ongoing.
“These bootleg vapes are illegally imported, untested and unsafe, and legitimate businesses should not have any part in facilitating their sale,” said Attorney General Tong. “We’re going to keep doing everything we can to shutoff the supply and distribution
of these illegal products.”
In today’s letter, the coalition identifies 29 illegal e-cigarette websites that are currently hosted on Shopify’s platform. California recently placed these websites on notice for operating in violation of federal and state laws. The letter encloses an exhibit
identifying over 200 additional websites known to sell illegal tobacco products. This list is not exhaustive. The coalition offers to undertake some of the effort needed to further identify illegal sellers to Shopify.
Notably, the use of Shopify’s consumer delivery services to facilitate scofflaw distributors’ online sales of e-cigarettes violates newly enacted state legislation. Effective July 1, 2025, Connecticut’s existing ban on the delivery of traditional cigarettes
directly to Connecticut consumers applies to e-cigarettes as well.
Joining Attorney General Tong in sending today’s letter to Shopify, which is co-led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the City of New York, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
Assistant Attorneys General Amor Rosario and Heather Wilson, Deputy Section Chief for Tobacco Enforcement are assisting the Attorney General in this matter.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES TO BLOCK UNLAWFUL SNAP ELIGIBILITY GUIDANCE
(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong today joined 21 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop the federal government from unlawfully cutting off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for thousands of lawful permanent residents. Attorney General Tong and the coalition are seeking to block new guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that wrongly treats several groups of legal immigrants as ineligible for food assistance, including permanent residents who were granted asylum or admitted as refugees. The attorneys general argue that the guidance contradicts federal law and could impose massive financial penalties on states, and are asking the court to declare the guidance unlawful.
“The Trump Administration cannot help themselves. They are messing with SNAP benefits again. This time they are inventing their own rules to permanently ban legal immigrants—green card holders—from ever receiving food stamps. There is zero basis in the law for this cruel move, and we’re suing to stop them,” said Attorney General Tong.
On October 31, USDA issued new guidance to state SNAP agencies describing changes to program eligibility under the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which narrowed eligibility for certain non-citizen groups, including refugees, asylum recipients, and others admitted under humanitarian protection programs. The USDA memo, however, incorrectly asserted that all individuals who entered the country through these humanitarian pathways would remain permanently ineligible for SNAP, even after obtaining green cards and becoming lawful permanent residents.
Attorney General Tong and the coalition emphasize that this position is not mentioned in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” or in any other federal law. Federal statutes make clear that refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, individuals whose deportation has been withheld, and other vulnerable legal immigrants become eligible for SNAP once they obtain their green cards and meet standard program requirements. The attorneys general argue that USDA’s memo illegally rewrites those rules and threatens to cut off food assistance for people who are fully eligible under the law.
The attorneys general argue that USDA’s guidance also misapplies the agency’s own regulations. Federal rules give states a 120-day grace period after new guidance is issued to adjust their systems without facing severe financial penalties. USDA is now claiming that this period expired on November 1, just one day after the guidance was released and before states even had a single business day to review it. The coalition argues that this interpretation is impossible under USDA’s own regulations, which state that the 120-day period cannot begin until new guidance is actually issued. And because the statute also imposes a cost-shifting framework on the SNAP program for states that USDA determines have unacceptable error rates in administering the program, by disregarding its own rules, USDA is exposing states to major financial penalties for errors caused by the agency’s late and inaccurate memo.
States have already begun implementing the statutory changes enacted earlier this year, but USDA’s abrupt and incorrect guidance now forces them to overhaul eligibility systems overnight. The attorneys general warn that this will create widespread confusion for families, increase the risk of wrongful benefit terminations, erode public trust, and place states in an untenable situation where they must either violate federal law or accept severe financial liability. The attorneys general are asking the court to vacate the unlawful guidance and block its implementation to ensure that families do not lose critical food assistance.
Joining Attorney General Tong in this lawsuit, which was led by the attorneys general of New York and Oregon, are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Benton, Elizabeth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON COMPLETE VICTORY OVER EXXONMOBIL MOTION TO STRIKE
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after Connecticut Superior Court Judge John B. Farley issued a decision fully denying ExxonMobil’s motion to strike Connecticut’s case against the company for decades of deceit regarding climate change.
Attorney General Tong sued ExxonMobil in September 2020 under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, alleging an ongoing, systematic campaign of lies and deception to hide from the public what ExxonMobil has known for decades—that burning fossil fuels undeniably contributes to climate change. Connecticut is seeking to stop ExxonMobil’s lies and to hold ExxonMobil accountable for these unfair and deceptive practices.
ExxonMobil first sought to remove the case to federal court. They lost that effort in federal district court, and also before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. ExxonMobil did not seek cert to the U.S. Supreme Court. Next, ExxonMobil filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction in state court. That motion was denied. Most recently, ExxonMobil filed a motion to strike in state court, seeking to test and invalidate Connecticut’s legal claims by arguing the state’s case was precluded by federal law, legally insufficient under CUTPA and barred by the First Amendment, among other grounds. Today, Judge Farley issued a well-reasoned decision denying in full every one of those assertions.
“ExxonMobil is throwing the kitchen sink at us, trying every angle to invalidate our case. Once again, they have failed on every count. Our case is simple and strong—ExxonMobil amassed billions of dollars in profits off a decades-long campaign of lies, and they must be held accountable. We are in the midst of discovery and are aggressively prosecuting this case in Connecticut to uncover and expose ExxonMobil’s lies and to hold the company accountable for the harm their deception has caused,” said Attorney General Tong.