Press Releases

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.

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.

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 Rutland on July 21, 2022, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

State of Vermont and EEOC Enter Five-Year Consent Decree with Coughlin, Inc.

The following information is intended to answer questions about your legal rights in Vermont. You should talk to a health care provider about questions regarding your reproductive health, including whether and when you can safely terminate your pregnancy.

Exercise caution when speaking with a new health care provider or searching online for health information. Do not share your personal health information except with a trusted provider.

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.

In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Acting Attorney General Joshua Diamond today issued the following statement reaffirming the Office’s commitment to supporting and expanding access to abortion care:

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Vermont joined with 49 other states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the federal government to settle allegations of fraud against Mallinckrodt ARD, LLC (formerly known as Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), which sells and markets pharmaceutical products throughout the nation. The total value of the multistate settlement is more than $233 million, to be paid over a period of seven years. Of the total settlement, Vermont received $61,595.05.

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.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Chase A. Skinner, 27, of Essex Junction, Vermont, was arraigned on June 9, 2022, on three felony counts and three misdemeanor counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The charges brought against Mr.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced that he is stepping down from the office of Attorney General effective Monday, June 20, 2022, at 5 p.m. in order to accept the position of Director of Public Policy and U.S. State Strategies for the company Roblox. Donovan will be based in Vermont.

Attorney General Donovan issued the following statement regarding his decision:

Attorney General T.J. Donovan is warning Vermonters about a new variation of the family emergency scam in which scammers are demanding that cash be handed over in person to a “courier.” By presenting a fake emergency in which their loved one needs help getting out of trouble, scammers pressure panicked family members, including grandparents, into acting before they can realize it’s a scam. Until recently, scammers took a hands-off approach in collecting money, demanding gift cards, wire transfers, or virtual payments.

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.

The Attorney General’s Office announced that the Caledonia Criminal Division found probable cause for felony Medicaid Fraud charges committed by Debra Stewart, 62, of Newark, Vermont, and her son, Andrew Lavelle, 31. Ms. Stewart was arraigned today on two counts of Medicaid Fraud, while the court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Lavelle. The charges brought against both Ms. Stewart and Mr. Lavelle are the result of an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit.