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5 Tips on Giving Wisely This Holiday Season

Date
December 16, 2021

Thinking about giving this holiday season? Here are five tips to help ensure that your contribution is going to a charity in need for a cause you support.

1- Research the charity. Understand how your money will be used by the charity before you donate. Websites like the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance and Charity Navigator make it easy to find this information.

Attorney General Donovan Responds to Facebook’s Decision to Pause Development of “Instagram Kids”

Date
September 27, 2021

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

After a letter sent by Attorney General T.J. Donovan and other attorneys general in May, Facebook today announced that it will pause its development of its Instagram app designed for children, “Instagram Kids.”

Vermont to Receive $165,000 from Online Vaping Retailers

Date
August 3, 2021

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced that his office has reached settlements with three different online sellers of electronic cigarettes for violations of Vermont’s Delivery Sales Ban and Consumer Protection Act. Under the settlements, the companies resolved claims that they sold electronic cigarettes, e-liquids, or other tobacco paraphernalia to individual consumers. As of July 1, 2019, it is illegal to sell electronic cigarettes and related vaping products over the internet to individual Vermont consumers.

Statement by Attorney General T.J. Donovan Regarding Vermont’s Opposition to Purdue Bankruptcy Plan

Date
July 8, 2021

I do not support the proposed Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan because it does not sufficiently hold the Sackler family accountable. The Sacklers are the founders and owners of Purdue Pharma, which sparked and fueled the opioid crisis. Through this bankruptcy plan, the Sacklers are leveraging their enormous wealth to obtain the protection of the bankruptcy court by having the court extinguish the states’ claims against the Sacklers.

Attorney General Donovan Is Disappointed in Purdue Plan

Date
March 16, 2021

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

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today expressed disappointment when reacting to the plan Purdue Pharma filed in bankruptcy court. Along with 23 other states, Attorney General Donovan released the below statement:

“We are disappointed in this plan. While it contains improvements over the proposal that Purdue announced and we rejected in September 2019, it falls short of the accountability that families and survivors deserve.

Vermont Joins Multistate Settlement with American Medical Collection Agency Over 2019 Data Breach

Date
March 11, 2021

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

MONTPELIER – Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced that Vermont, as part of a coalition of 41 attorneys general, has settled with Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau, doing business as American Medical Collection Agency (“AMCA”) resolving a multistate investigation into the 2019 data breach that exposed the personal information of over 7 million individuals, including 2,889 Vermont residents, and potentially exposed the personal information of up to 21 million individuals throughout the United States.

Q&A: How to Protect Your Identity

Date
February 18, 2021

Vermonters, there are steps you can take right now to protect your identity. Here are some helpful tips from the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) along with commonly asked questions about identity theft.

What can I do, right now, to protect my identity?

The best way to know that no one is using your personal information is to monitor your credit. CAP recommends that Vermonters review their credit reports now, and regularly, to make sure that no unauthorized accounts are being reported.

Vermont Leads Multistate Investigation of Hotel Booking Company’s 2017 Data Breach

Date
December 23, 2020

State of Vermont to Receive $397,000 as Settlement

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

Attorney General T.J. Donovan, along with the attorneys general of 27 states, has entered into a settlement with Sabre Corporation that resolves an investigation into the 2017 data breach of Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ hotel booking system. The breach exposed the data of approximately 1.3 million credit cards. The settlement requires a payment of $2.4 million, of which the State of Vermont will receive $397,000 and injunctive relief.

Attorney General Donovan and Commissioner of Financial Regulation Pieciak Join $86 Million Settlement with Nationstar Mortgage

Date
December 8, 2020

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

Molly Dillon, Deputy Commissioner of Banking, Dept. of Financial Regulation, 802-828-4874

Seventy-Eight Vermonters to Receive $100,000 in Restitution

Attorney General Wins Significant Victory in Clearview AI Lawsuit

Date
September 11, 2020

Contact: Ryan Kriger, Assistant Attorney General, (802) 828-3171

Court Denies Facial Recognition Company’s Motion to Dismiss

Attorney General T.J. Donovan has prevailed on a motion to dismiss filed by Clearview AI in the lawsuit to stop the facial recognition company from collecting and selling images of Vermonters. The Court’s ruling means the case, which was filed in April, may now move forward. The case is pending in Chittenden Superior Court, Civil Division.

Attorney General Sues to Stop Price-Gouging Scheme

Date
April 14, 2020

Contact: Christopher J. Curtis, Chief, Public Protection Division, 802-828-3171

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that he filed a lawsuit and motion for preliminary injunction to stop a price-gouging scheme involving surgical masks. The State of Vermont alleges Big Brother Security Programs, whose primary business is to own and operate public and private transportation, and its owner Shelley Palmer of Williston, Vermont, imported surgical masks that cost 10 cents each and re-sold them to Central Vermont Medical Center for $2.50 each; for at least a 500 percent mark-up.

Attorney General Donovan Urges Federal Government To Prioritize Production Of COVID-19 Protective Gear & Testing Supplies

Date
March 24, 2020

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

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today joined a coalition of 15 attorneys general in urging the federal government to fully utilize the Defense Production Act to immediately prioritize the production of masks, respirators, and other critical items needed by health care workers, first responders, and law enforcement as they respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

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