News

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Jeffrey Coolidge, 58, of Montpelier, Vermont, was arraigned today on two charges of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. The charges brought against the defendant are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of a residential search warrant, conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Montpelier Police Department.

The Attorney General’s Office today announced that David Gilbo, 39, of Newbury, Vermont, was convicted of one misdemeanor count of Grossly Negligent Operation for an accident that caused the death of David Elder.

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.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Ian Quinlan, 50, of Montpelier, Vermont, was arraigned today on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges brought against Mr.

What is the State’s recent motion to stay and why is it being filed?

The State filed an amicus brief requesting that the federal court issue a stay, or temporary pause, in Addison Central School District et al. v. Monsanto et al. This will not dismiss the Addison case, but allow the State’s case, which was filed first on behalf of all public and independent schools in the statewide testing program, to proceed first in state court.

Attorney General Charity Clark today filed an amicus brief asking a federal court to stay, or temporarily pause, a federal PCB lawsuit brought by a group of schools against Monsanto, after the State had already filed a suit in state court against Monsanto for PCB contamination in Vermont schools. The brief notes that the basis and relief requested in the later-filed federal suit, Addison Central School District et al. v. Monsanto et al., overlaps with the State’s first-filed suit currently proceeding in state court.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Kathryn Flynn, 69, of Essex, Vermont, and Yoanna Vaughan, 36, of South Burlington, Vermont, were each arraigned yesterday on charges stemming from the care they provided to a vulnerable adult receiving Medicaid-funded services. The investigation, conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU), began after concerns were raised with authorities about the neglect and abuse of a vulnerable adult for whom Ms. Flynn was the guardian.

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.