Press Releases

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

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that opioid manufacturer, Mallinckrodt (MNK), has devised a global settlement framework that would settle all opioid-related claims against it. The agreement in principle is supported by Vermont and 46 states and U.S. territories, as well as municipalities and other litigants in the federal opioid multidistrict litigation.

Contact: Domenica Padula, Chief, Criminal Division, 802-828-3171

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that Antonia Tyson of Vernon, Vermont was arraigned today on five felony counts of possession of child pornography. According to documents filed with the court, Mr. Tyson was arrested after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and discovered images of what appeared to be child pornography on one of his electronic devices.

Contact: Elizabeth Anderson, Director, Medicaid Fraud & Residential Abuse, 802-828-3171

CONTACT:    Domenica Padula, Chief, Criminal Division, 802-828-3171

Contact: Melanie Kehne, Assistant Attorney General, 802-828-3171

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced today that his office has reached a settlement with JAM Fuel, LLC, doing business as JAM Fuels, and Joshua A. Marcell to resolve claims arising out of a 2018 fuel oil spill at a residence in Springfield, Vermont. The State filed a civil enforcement complaint in Windsor Superior Court in 2019, alleging violations of Vermont’s Hazardous Waste Management Regulations and Aboveground Storage Tank Rules.

CONTACT:    Domenica Padula, Chief, Criminal Division, 802-828-3171

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced today that his office reviewed a complaint regarding Bellows Falls Police Detective Mario Checchi involving an allegation of possible misconduct. The complaint alleged that Detective Checchi had improperly notified a target of a search warrant before it was executed. The Attorney General’s Office reviewed all the materials provided by the Vermont State Police, who conducted the investigation, and found no credible evidence to support the allegation of misconduct.

Contact: David Scherr, Co-Director, Community Justice Division, 802-828-3171

Contact: Ben Battles, Solicitor General, 802-828-3171

Settlement includes payment of $178,393 to the State of Vermont and $222,000 for environmental project to benefit Vermonters

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

Contact: Eleanor Spottswood, Assistant Attorney General, 802-828-3171

CONTACT:    Ben Battles, Solicitor General, 802-828-3171

CONTACT:    Eleanor Spottswood, Assistant Attorney General, (802) 828-3171

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

Contact: Ben Battles, Solicitor General, 802-828-3171

Contact: David Scherr, Co-Chair, Community Justice Division, 802-828-3171

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

Agreement increases access to driver’s privilege cards

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

 AG Appoints Former Supreme Court Justices to Litigation Team

Contact:  Lisa Jensen, Assistant Director, Consumer Assistance Program, 1-800-649-2424

Contact: Jamie Renner, Assistant Attorney General, (802) 828-3171

Consumer Guide to Long-Term Care Facilities Launched

Contact: Ryan P. Kane, Assistant Attorney General, (802) 828-3171

Vermont attorney general TJ Donovan says the state will get more than $1.8 million as part of a settlement with the credit reporting agency Equifax over a 2017 data breach that exposed Social Security numbers and other private information of nearly 150 million people.

The breach was one of the largest ever to threaten the private information. The Vermont attorney general’s office says the data of more than 250,000 Vermonters was exposed.

Contact: Jill Abrams, Director, Consumer Protection Unit, 802-828-3171

Lawsuit Alleges Violations of Consumer Protection Act, Unjust Enrichment, Public Nuisance

Contact: Jill Abrams, Director Consumer Protection Unit, 802-828-3171

Attorney General T.J. Donovan today filed a lawsuit against two distributors of opiates, Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corporation. The lawsuit, filed in Chittenden Superior Court, alleges that Defendants committed unfair and deceptive acts in violation of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act and alleges claims of negligence and public nuisance. The State also contends that these distributors fraudulently concealed their unlawful conduct.

VSAC and Attorney General warn of scammers posing as student loan servicers

Attorney General T.J. Donovan joined Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) to warn Vermonters about scams involving student loans. Scammers pose as student loan servicers, debt relief companies, document preparation companies or say that you may be eligible for a student loan forgiveness program.

Contact: Jill Abrams, Director, Consumer Protection Unit, (802) 828-1106

AG Alleges Deceptive and Unfair Acts and Public Nuisance

Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that today his office filed a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act and public nuisance law concerning Purdue’s marketing and promotion of opioids. Purdue is the manufacturer of Oxycontin.

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.