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State AG Insights

Foley Hoag’s State Attorney General Investigations lawyers offer their experience, insight and skill to help your business through the considerable challenges of an AG investigation or enforcement action.

Two AGs Notch Another Win Against the President in Emoluments Saga
Blog August 03, 2018
The Attorneys General of Maryland and the District of Columbia again got a green light to proceed with their case alleging that the President has violated the Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.[1] The ruling is the first of its kind to define “Emolument” and to hold that the clause barring foreign emoluments applies to the President.[2] President Trump assumed office while maintaining ties to his businesses…
Democratic State AGs Want Greater Power to Supervise Banking, Doubt Federal Efforts
Blog January 03, 2018
In the last week of December 2017, Democratic senators introduced the “Accountability for Wall Street Executives Act of 2017,” which would amend the National Banking Act to allow state AGs to request a wide variety of information from nationally-chartered banks.  As the Supreme Court explained in Cuomo v. Clearing House Ass'n, L.L.C., 557 U.S. 519 (2009), the National Banking Act distinguishes between “visitorial powers” – such as examination of a bank's accounts or inspection of its……
Attorneys General Continue to Battle the Trump Administration Over Environmental Regulations
Blog June 16, 2017
Democratic Attorneys General have continued their efforts to combat the Trump administration's attempts to roll back environmental regulations developed under the Obama administration in two recent actions. Thirteen AGs, including Massachusetts AG Maura Healey, sent a letter last week to Scott Pruitt, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, threatening legal action if the agency takes steps to weaken or delay the greenhouse gas emissions standards that were established in……
Exxon-Healey Dispute Gets Hearing as State AGs Weigh In
Blog September 23, 2016
This week in the Northern District of Texas, U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade heard oral argument on Exxon Mobil's motion for preliminary injunction against Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's civil investigative demand, issued to Exxon on April 19, 2016, which sought documents from Exxon related to its analysis of research efforts to study climate change.  The argument followed two amicus briefs from state attorneys general across the country. The first brief…
State Attorneys General Send Requests for Information on Retailers' Use of On-Call Shifts
Blog April 22, 2016
In a continued effort to end the practice of using “on-call shifts,” several state attorneys general, including Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, sent letters last week to 15 national retailers requesting information about their use of “on-call shifts” to staff their businesses. As we reported last June, AG Schneiderman sent letters seeking similar information about the use of “on-call shifts” to 14 major retailers last year…

ABOUT

Foley Hoag’s State Attorney General Investigations lawyers have the experience, the insight and the skill to guide your business through the considerable challenges of an AG investigation or enforcement action.

Our team knows firsthand how the AG and her line assistants approach investigations. Our legal team includes a former Massachusetts Attorney General, a former chief deputy attorney general, a former first assistant attorney general, a former deputy attorney general, a former chief of the business and labor bureau, a former deputy chief of the criminal bureau, and four partners who served as assistant United States attorneys.

Foley Hoag will work closely with you to develop and implement winning strategies to achieve your objectives and successfully resolve the investigation. And if there is no reasonable alternative but to litigate, our lawyers, including American College of Trial Lawyers fellows, have a record of substantial courtroom success. Whatever the path, we will fight to protect the reputation of your business and neutralize any adverse public relations implications arising from the AG action.