Consumer Information

Vermont consumers could be eligible for compensation

Attorney General Charity Clark today filed a lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers Evernorth (owner of Express Scripts) and CVS as well as nearly two dozen affiliated entities for unfairly and deceptively driving up prescription drug prices in Vermont. Pharmacy benefit managers (sometimes referred to as “PBMs”) are the “middlemen” who negotiate contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers, insurance companies, and pharmacies, and dictate the cost of prescription drugs that consumers must pay.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is investigating Live Nation and Ticketmaster for maintaining a monopoly and stifling competition in the ticketing industry. If you have a complaint about high ticket prices, excessive fees or poor service provided by Live Nation or Ticketmaster, please complete the below complaint form.

Click here to fill out a complaint form.

Office Saves and Recovers More Than $1.89 million for Vermont Consumers

The Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit to hold a logging business accountable for violations of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act. The Attorney General’s Office alleges that Codling Brothers Logging and David, Joe, and Paul Codling have conducted fraudulent business practices in logging in the State of Vermont. In the Complaint, the State alleges that the Codling Brothers used unfair and deceptive practices with at least five Vermont landowners.

Attorney General Charity Clark announced the January 28, 2024 celebration of Data Privacy Day, an international effort to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices. She praised legislative leaders for taking up H.121, a comprehensive data privacy bill, initially spearheaded by her office. H.121 will codify every Vermonter’s right to control the buying, selling, and processing of their personal data, including biometric data.

UPDATE (March 7, 2024): The claims portal is now live. Learn more and file your claim here: https://www.vtmoteldeposit.com/Home/portalid/0

AG Clark Helps Recoup $300,000 in Withheld Security Deposits;

State to Receive Proof of Repair Expenses

Scam reports to the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) totaled 3,212 in 2023. The “computer tech support” scam took the number one spot on the list, totaling almost 25 percent of the top scams reported. Phishing scams involving financial institutions, where a scammer tries to lure victims into clicking malicious links or tricking them into providing sensitive information which can be used to steal money, took the number two spot, accounting for a little more than 11 percent of the top scam reports in 2023.

Attorney General Charity Clark and a bipartisan group of 52 other attorneys general today announced a nationwide, $700 million settlement of a lawsuit about Google’s anticompetitive conduct concerning the Google Play Store.

The Attorney General’s Office filed a complaint earlier this week against Plumb Perfect, LLC, and its owner/proprietor, Stanley Selig. The complaint alleges that Mr. Selig and his business have operated for many years in an unlicensed capacity yet advertise “expert” plumbing services. The State of Vermont requires licensure for plumbers to lawfully operate.

The Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) had a busy summer resolving various, separate matters. CAP features a letter mediation program that aims to resolve consumer complaints. Resolved matters included:  

Attorney General Charity Clark and Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Kevin Gaffney announced today that Vermont, along with five other states, has reached a multistate settlement totaling $6.5 million with Morgan Stanley over two incidents that compromised the personal information of millions of Morgan Stanley customers. Both incidents occurred due to Morgan Stanley’s failure to erase unencrypted data in certain computer devices that were decommissioned, exposing millions of consumers’ personal information left in those devices.

Attorney General Charity Clark has sued Meta to hold the company accountable for its contribution to the mental health crisis that grips teens in America and Vermont. The lawsuit, which targets Instagram, alleges Meta designed Instagram to cause young people to use the platform compulsively and excessively. Meta did this to maximize the time young users spend on the platform in order to maximize the company’s advertising revenue.

By: Attorney General Charity Clark

For nearly 40 years, October has been designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for good reason. One in eight women will develop breast cancer. October also brings a wave of pink ribbons and pink products. As Vermont Attorney General, I strive to uphold Vermont’s consumer laws and educate Vermonters so that they can make informed decisions when supporting charities and purchasing products. This month, awareness is vital and particularly important given a practice known as “pinkwashing.”

Attorney General Charity Clark announced today that she, along with 49 other attorneys general, has reached a settlement with software company Blackbaud for its deficient data security practices and response to a 2020 ransomware event that exposed the personal information of millions of consumers across the nation. Under the settlement, Blackbaud has agreed to overhaul its data security and breach notification practices and make a $49.5 million payment to states.

The Attorney General’s Office has reached a settlement with Tempoe, LLC, a company that leases consumer products nationwide. The settlement resolves a multistate investigation which revealed that Tempoe’s marketing and sales practices often misled consumers to believe they were signing up for an installment plan or credit sale when, in reality, they were entering into a lease agreement.

Attorney General Charity Clark is warning Vermonters that the grandparent scam is on the rise -- and scammers are utilizing new, sophisticated tactics. As typical of this scam, callers claim to be grandchildren in an emergency situation, such as in a car accident, in prison, or at the hospital, and need money to resolve the problem.

Vermonters who were misled by TurboTax into paying for free tax services will begin receiving restitution checks in the mail this week as the result of a multistate settlement. The settlement, announced in 2022, applies to certain consumers who paid TurboTax’s owner Intuit to file their federal tax returns for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018 when they were eligible to file for free through the IRS Free File Program.

CONTACT:   Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171

Announces top 10 consumer complaints of 2022 & “Stopping Scams Together” initiative

Fake package scam leads the list; Social Security phishing scam falls from list

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit against Nano Hearing Aids for misleading consumers about the effectiveness and quality of its products. The lawsuit alleges that Nano engaged in multiple layers of deception by making misleading statements on its website and in advertisements, implying its products are FDA-approved, and falsely representing its products as American-made.

Experian and T-Mobile agree to improve data protection practices

Vermont recently joined three multistate settlements involving Experian data breaches that occurred in 2012 and 2015. The breaches compromised the personal information of millions of consumers nationwide, including 2,133 Vermont consumers who had applied for T-Mobile postpaid services and device financing between September 2013 and September 2015.

Attorney General Susanne Young today announced that Vermont will receive $4 million from a multistate settlement with Google over its location tracking practices related to Google Account settings. The settlement also requires Google to be more transparent with consumers about its practices, including giving users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and how it’s used. The multistate settlement announced today was negotiated by a coalition of 40 attorneys general and totals $391.5 million.

Experian and T-Mobile agree to improve data protection practices

Vermont recently joined three multistate settlements involving Experian data breaches that occurred in 2012 and 2015. The breaches compromised the personal information of millions of consumers nationwide, including 2,133 Vermont consumers who had applied for T-Mobile postpaid services and device financing between September 2013 and September 2015.

The Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) is warning Vermont business owners, non-profits, and employees about an uptick in business imposter email scams. In the last two months, CAP has received five reports of business imposter email scams resulting in a total loss of $210,799. Scammers are impersonating employees or familiar business representatives’ emails and contacting company bookkeepers and office administrators asking them to change bank account information, direct deposit information, or asking them to write checks.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has joined 33 other states in reaching a $438.5 million agreement in principle with JUUL Labs, resolving a two-year bipartisan investigation into the e-cigarette manufacturer’s marketing and sales practices. Under the terms of the agreement in principle, the State of Vermont will receive approximately $8 million over a period of six to ten years.

Vermont has joined a nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force of 50 states to investigate and take legal action against the telecommunications companies responsible for bringing foreign robocalls into the U.S. Gateway providers that bring robocalls into the U.S. have a responsibility to ensure the call traffic is legal, but these providers are not doing enough to stop illegal robocalls.

Vermont is set to receive another substantial settlement in its ongoing work to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the opioid crises. For the second time this week, a drug manufacturer, Abbvie, disclosed a proposed settlement to its investors in its earnings report released today. The proposed settlement will require Allergan, acquired by Abbvie in 2020, to pay up to $2.37 billion to participating states and local governments.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has reached an agreement in principle on key financial terms with opioid maker Teva, which would provide up to $4.25 billion to participating states and local governments. While critical details of the settlement remain the subject of ongoing negotiations, Teva disclosed the key financial terms in its earnings announcement yesterday.

Carnival Required to Change Its Security and Breach Practices

The Attorney General’s Office announced a multistate settlement with Florida-based Carnival Cruise Line stemming from a 2019 data breach that involved the personal information of approximately 180,000 Carnival employees and customers nationwide. As part of the settlement, Carnival must strengthen its email security and breach response practices. The company must also pay the states a total of $1.25 million, of which Vermont will receive $10,000.

The Attorney General’s Office is holding a community forum for landlords on Vermont’s Lead Paint Law on Wednesday, June 29, at 4 p.m. in St. Johnsbury. Vermont law requires owners of residential rental properties built before 1978 to file lead safety compliance statements with the Vermont Department of Health every year. To help landlords understand how to ensure their properties are inspected and filings are properly completed, the Attorney General’s Office has initiated a public education and outreach campaign to promote safe housing and help landlords with compliance.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced a multistate settlement with Ford Motor Company regarding claims that Ford falsely advertised the real-world fuel economy of certain model years of C-Max hybrids and the payload capacity of certain Super Duty pick-up trucks.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced a settlement with Pfizer Inc. following an investigation into the company’s business and advertising practices for its copayment coupon program. As part of the program, consumers were told that they would “pay no more than” certain amounts out-of-pocket for specific drugs – but ended up spending far more at the pharmacy. As part of the settlement, qualified Vermont consumers will automatically receive restitution for the amounts they overpaid.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced a settlement with Florida-based Centurion Filing Services, LLC (Centurion), for sending misleading mailings to Vermont businesses.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general earlier this week in filing two amicus briefs defending efforts to ensure that community health centers, clinics, and institutions serving low-income and underserved patient populations have access to discounted prescription drugs.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced a settlement with TurboTax, Intuit Inc. (Intuit), for deceiving Vermont consumers into paying for tax services that should have been free. As a result of a multistate agreement, Intuit will pay $141 million in restitution to millions of consumers across the nation who were unfairly charged. In addition, Intuit must suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign that lured customers with promises of free tax preparation services, only to deceive them into paying for services.

Rutland Superior Court issued a judgment last week in a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General’s Office against Rutland rental property owner John Ruggiero and his companies for failing to comply with Vermont’s lead in rental housing laws and consumer protection laws. The Attorney General’s Office sued Mr. Ruggiero earlier this month after the Vermont Department of Health received complaints of two children residing in Mr. Ruggiero’s properties with elevated blood lead levels. The Consent Judgment orders Mr.

Settlements Resolve Violations of State’s Delivery Sales Ban and Consumer Protection Act

Washington Superior Court has issued a judgment in the civil lawsuit brought by Attorney General T.J. Donovan against Missouri-based Karabell Industries and its owner, Eli Karabell, for making repeated illegal telemarketing calls and harassing state legislators to pay exorbitant sums of money. The Consent Judgment, issued yesterday, resolves the Attorney General’s lawsuit by requiring the Defendants to cease all business and telemarketing activity in Vermont and refrain from contacting anyone in Vermont about any marketing, sales, offers, or otherwise.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today filed a civil lawsuit against Missouri-based company, Karabell Industries, and its owner, Eli Karabell, for making repeated illegal telemarketing calls and harassing state legislators to pay him exorbitant sums of money. The lawsuit was filed in Washington Superior Court after numerous state legislators complained of receiving late-night phone calls from the Defendants who claimed to offer “government consulting services.” The Defendants then emailed state legislators proposing contracts and demanding payments of $18,500 per hour or even $48 billion.

Contact: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171

CONTACT:    Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171

AG Donovan Has Negotiated Over $100 Million From Opioid Litigation for Vermont

Contact: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171

Court Approval Required

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced a national settlement in principle with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, for their role in the opioid crisis, that will increase the amounts of funds paid by the Sacklers from $4.325 billion under the original bankruptcy plan to at least $5.5 billion. The settlement is subject to court approval.

Contact: Lauren Jandl, Asst. Director of Communications, 802-828-3171

Tips Offered for Vermonters in Need of Fuel Assistance as Temperatures Drop

Contact: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828–3171

CONTACT: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171

Settlement Requires Company to Provide Debt Relief and Cease Unfair and Deceptive Practices

Contact: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-03171

The Final Installment in a Three-Part Video Series on Imposter Scams

Contact: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171

“I am pleased with the Court’s ruling rejecting the Purdue bankruptcy plan which would have dismissed Vermont’s legal claims against the Sackler family. This ruling gives Vermont the ability to continue to pursue those that helped create the opioid crisis.”