Press Releases

Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Vermont has joined 41 other states in reaching a nationwide settlement of $102.5 million with the maker of Suboxone, Indivior Inc. Vermont will receive about $2 million from the settlement, which resolves allegations that Indivior used illegal means to switch the Suboxone market from tablets to film while attempting to destroy the market for tablets to preserve its drug monopoly. Suboxone is a brand name for buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Steven J. Malaney Jr., 59, of Burlington, Vermont, was arraigned today on four felony counts and one misdemeanor count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The charges brought against Mr. Malaney are the result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Burlington Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Robert Bivens, 54, and Andrew Sollace, 41, both of Montpelier, Vermont, were arraigned yesterday on multiple counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Mr. Bivens was arraigned on two felony counts and three misdemeanor counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Mr. Sollace was arraigned on four felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material.

Attorney General Charity Clark today sued Michael D. Lansky, LLC, which does business under the name Avid Telecom, for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of illegal robocalls to millions of people and violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that, in separate incidents, two Vermont men, Travis Papineau, 39, of Northfield, and Patrick Knauss, 34, of Essex—were arraigned in Vermont Superior Court earlier this week for possession of child sexual abuse material.

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.

Settlement Prevents Visibly From Misrepresenting Safety or Effectiveness of Vision Tests

The Attorney General’s Office announced that it joined a multistate settlement last month with Visibly Inc, resolving an investigation into deceptive business practices at the online telehealth company. Visibly, formerly known as Opternative Inc., markets and sells an online vision test, among other products.

Attorney General Charity Clark issued the following statement in response to the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs’ investigative report on the Franklin County State’s Attorney, released yesterday:

“I am deeply troubled by the findings that State’s Attorney Lavoie created a toxic work environment. His behavior and comments in a workplace – as described in the report issued yesterday and as he has admitted through press reports – are unacceptable.

Vermont joins two amicus briefs in support of access to mifepristone and preventative reproductive health care under Title X

Attorney General Charity Clark continued her efforts to protect medication abortions and reproductive health care yesterday by joining a pair of multi-state actions.

U.S. Attorney, Vermont Attorney General & Rutland Area NAACP to Co-Host Hate-Free Vermont Forum in Randolph

Tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding the status of the abortion drug mifepristone. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a stay during the pendency of the appeal in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. In response, Attorney General Charity Clark issued the following statement:

“Vermonters, tonight’s ruling means there is no change in your ability to receive abortion care in Vermont, including accessing medication abortions using mifepristone.

Montpelier’s Main Street Middle School Wins Visit from AG Clark

4/19/23 Update: The U.S. Supreme Court extended the stay until Friday, April 21, 2023. Until the Court provides more clarity by then, Vermonters’ access to mifepristone remains unchanged and health care providers may continue treating their patients with mifepristone.

###

The Attorney General’s Office today announced Louis Fortier, 42, was sentenced on one count of Murder in the Second Degree in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division. Mr. Fortier previously pled no contest in the fatal stabbing of Richard Medina on March 29, 2017, in downtown Burlington, Vermont.

Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a multistate coalition challenging the decision issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that would leave in place restrictions on access to mifepristone imposed by a Texas trial court and restrict access to medication abortion nationwide.

Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a multistate coalition to challenge the decision issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas that could restrict medication abortion access nationwide. The amicus brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, urges the court to stay pending appeal of the district court’s ruling, which if allowed to take effect would halt the over two-decades old approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the medication abortion drug mifepristone.

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

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

The United States Attorney’s Office, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, and the Rutland Area NAACP will be co-hosting a Hate-Free Vermont Forum in St. Albans on March 13, 2023 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. This forum will be the third held in an ongoing series; last year, Hate-Free Vermont Forums took place in Rutland and Bennington.

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

Attorney General Charity Clark wants to hear young Vermonters’ thoughts about the environment. For the third year in a row, the Attorney General’s Office is holding an Earth Day Essay Challenge and asking fifth and sixth graders to submit essays on the environment.

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

Report includes review of 2021 homicides and recommendations to Legislature

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Joshua Douglas, 34, of Hartland, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on six felony and four misdemeanor counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The charges brought against Mr.

Vermonters who need to remove firearms from their homes now have access to a renewed program that provides safe storage at sites statewide, the Vermont State Police and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office announced today.

Under the Firearms Storage Program, eight federally licensed firearms dealers in the state have signed up to accept firearms for temporary storage due to a protection order or for other safekeeping reasons.

A Franklin County jury today found Mark Schwartz, 34, of Cambridge, Vermont, not guilty of Simple Assault. Mr. Schwartz was charged in 2021 with causing bodily injury to an individual on February 28, 2019, by using a taser to incapacitate the individual. Mr. Schwartz was an officer with the St. Albans Police Department and was on duty at the time of the incident.

Clark Becomes First Woman Elected Attorney General

Today, Charity Clark was sworn in as Vermont’s 28th Attorney General. The swearing-in ceremony occurred in a packed House Chamber of the Statehouse.

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.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Orange County State’s Attorney’s Office today announced the conclusions of their independent reviews of the fatal officer-involved shooting incident that occurred on August 15, 2022, in Ludlow, Vermont. Attorney General Susanne Young and Orange County State’s Attorney Dickson Corbett have declined to prosecute Ludlow Police Officer Zachary Paul for charges related to the fatal shooting of Michael Mills.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office today announced that Jason Lawton 34, of Fletcher, Vermont, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of Simple Assault. After a contested sentencing hearing in Vermont Superior Court, Franklin Criminal Division, Mr. Lawton was sentenced to serve three to six months in jail.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) has entered a settlement agreement with Upper Valley Services, a designated agency that provides services and supports for people with developmental disabilities in Orange County and Moretown, Vermont. The settlement resolves MFRAU’s investigations into three incidents involving Upper Valley Services.

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 Vermont Attorney General’s Office announced that William Pine, 52, of Brookfield, Vermont was sentenced today on two felony counts of Aggravated Assault and one misdemeanor count of False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer. After a contested hearing in Vermont Superior Court, Orange Criminal Division, Mr. Pine was sentenced to 18 months to 10 years to serve, with credit for approximately 4 months of in-patient treatment.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that David Green, 23, of South Burlington, Vermont, was arraigned today on three felony counts of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct. The charges brought against Mr. Green are the result of a criminal investigation – including the execution of residential and online data search warrants – conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and South Burlington Police Department.

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.

11/7/22 UPDATE: The Hate-Free Vermont Forum scheduled for tonight, 11/17, from 5:30-7:30PM has been postponed. The Forum to be held in St. Albans will be rescheduled for a later date, and the details of the event will be announced by press release. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Levi Gamble, 40, of Wolcott, Vermont, was arraigned today on one felony count of Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct and one misdemeanor count of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The charges brought against Mr.

A jury has found Aita Gurung guilty of Murder in the First Degree of Yogeswari Khadka and guilty of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree for the near-fatal attack on Tulasa Rimal. In light of the verdict, Attorney General Susanne Young issued the following statement:

Today, a jury found Tyler Pollender-Savery not guilty of Murder in the Second Degree. In light of the verdict, Vermont Attorney General Susanne Young issued the following statement:

“I want to thank the jury for their service. While we are disappointed that the State was unable to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the right to a trial by jury is fundamental to our system of justice and a cornerstone of our democracy. Our thoughts are with 11-month-old Karsen Rickert’s family during this time.”

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has reached a settlement with a New Hampshire-based staffing agency that employed a temporary caregiver to multiple Vermont long-term care facilities despite knowing that the caregiver had financially exploited at least two older Vermonters while employed on the agency’s watch. The settlement requires the staffing agency—Staffing Solutions of Vermont, LLC—to pay a penalty to the State of Vermont, overhaul its employee hiring and termination practices, and be subject to ongoing State oversight.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Grand Isle County State’s Attorney’s Office today announced the conclusions of their independent reviews of the officer-involved shooting incident that occurred on June 14, 2022, in Woodstock, Vermont. Attorney General Susanne Young and Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Douglas DiSabito have declined to prosecute Woodstock Police Sergeant Joseph Swanson for charges related to the use of deadly force in a shooting incident involving Jay Wilson.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the Orange County State’s Attorney’s Office today announced the conclusions of their independent reviews of the fatal officer-involved shooting incident that occurred on July 19, 2022, in Brattleboro, Vermont. Attorney General Susanne Young and Orange County State’s Attorney Dickson Corbett have declined to prosecute Brattleboro Police Officer Ryder Carbone and Vermont State Police Detective Sergeants Jesse Robson and Samuel Truex for charges related to the fatal shooting of Matthew Davis.

The sixth annual Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive raised $13,854 for the Vermont Foodbank and collected over 650 items that were donated to local food shelves or meal sites. This two-week fundraiser, held each year in September during Hunger Action Month, is organized by the Attorney General’s Office, the Vermont Bar Association, and the Vermont Paralegal Organization in partnership with the Vermont Foodbank. In the six-year history of the food drive, Vermont’s legal community has raised more than $63,000 and collected over 11,000 food items.

The United States Attorney’s Office, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, and the Rutland Area NAACP will be co-hosting a Hate-Free Vermont Forum in Bennington on September 28, 2022, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

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 Attorney General’s Office today announced it charged four caregivers after Vermont Superior Court, Franklin Criminal Division, found probable cause for multiple criminal charges. The charges, including abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults, are against David Mumley, 29, formerly of Swanton, Vermont; Heather Mumley, 30, formerly of Swanton, Vermont; Krystal Grenier, 30, of Milton, Vermont; and Nicholas Grenier, 29, of Milton, Vermont.

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.

Today is the beginning of Hunger Action Month in Vermont. The COVID-19 pandemic caused food insecurity to reach record-high levels in Vermont, and with recent inflation, Vermonters continue to struggle to keep food on the table.

Following its investigation, the Vermont Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU) today announced a settlement with Our House Residential Care Homes. It is alleged that Our House, operator of four residential care homes in Rutland, Vermont, failed to properly train staff and adequately document and monitor the delivery of resident care services, resulting in abuse and neglect of residents.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has reached an agreement in principle with opioid maker Endo over its role in promoting the opioid crisis. Endo, an Ireland-based drug maker with U.S. headquarters in Pennsylvania, makes generic and branded opioids, including Percocet and Endocet, and Opana ER, before it was withdrawn from the market in 2017.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office today announced a settlement with heating woodchip supplier Limlaw Pulpwood Inc. and its related businesses for violating the Vermont Consumer Protection Act by falsifying the weight of its woodchip loads. The Attorney General’s Office investigated after receiving a report from the Agency of Agriculture regarding concerns that Limlaw was deceptively weighing its woodchip loads to make deliveries seem heavier, resulting in overcharges to consumers.