2013 Press Releases

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• 8/7/2013 Judge’s Preliminary Decision on Transmission Rates Favorable to New England States and Electric Utility Customers

  A federal administrative law judge has agreed with Connecticut and the New England states that earnings paid to electric transmission owners are too high, a decision that could mean substantial savings for the region’s utility customers if approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

• 8/1/2013 AG Jepsen: State Supreme Court Decision Affirms Strong Public Policy against Workplace Sexual Harassment

  Can the state terminate employment when an individual engages in sexual harassment in violation of agency directives? According to the Connecticut Supreme Court, if there is a clearly defined policy that has been knowingly and egregiously violated, then public policy may require nothing less than termination.

• 8/1/2013 Bridgeport Grocery Retailer Sued in Trafficking Scheme

  The state is suing a Bridgeport store owner alleging he engaged in a wide-ranging scheme to obtain electronic benefit cards for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”), formerly known as the Food Stamp program, and used them to purchase inventory for his store in violation of federal and state law.

• 7/31/2013 Connecticut Joins National Settlement Resolving Allegations of Off-label Marketing of Rapamune

  Attorney General George Jepsen, Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane and Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby today announced that Connecticut has joined with other states and the federal government in a settlement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to resolve allegations of off-label marketing of the immunosuppressive drug, Rapamune.

• 7/30/2013 State Officials Warn Residents about “Free Medical Alert” Scams

  Scammers promising “free” medical alert devices have been contacting residents across the state, and consumers need to be take note and spread the word, Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein and Attorney General George Jepsen advised today.

• 7/19/2013 Attorney General Jepsen to PURA: Aquarion Proposed Rate Increase Excessive, Unwarranted

  Attorney General George Jepsen has asked the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to reject an application from the Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut that would increase customer rates by $33 million over three years.

• 7/16/2013 Merrill & Jepsen Collect $1.3 Million in Penalties from Companies Transacting Business in Connecticut Without Legal Authority

  Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Attorney General George Jepsen today announced that during Fiscal Year 2013, a joint effort by their offices resulted in the collection of more than $1.3 million in penalties from out-of-state companies operating in Connecticut without legal authority to transact business.

• 7/10/2013 Attorney General Jepsen: District Court Finds Apple Violated Law in eBook Price-fixing Scheme

  A federal judge has ruled that Apple Inc. violated federal and state law in conspiring to fix prices in the market for electronic books, or eBooks, a decision that Attorney General George Jepsen today welcomed.

• 7/1/2013 Consumer Counsel Katz, AG Jepsen: Agreement Provides $10 Million in Refunds to Connecticut Water Co. Customers

  Due to changes in the federal Internal Revenue Service’s accounting regulations, Connecticut Water Co. stands to recover approximately $10 million for taxes paid since 2010 and, under a settlement agreement finalized today, the company will refund those dollars to its customers over a two-year period, Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz and Attorney General George Jepsen announced.

• 6/26/2013 Statement from Attorney General Jepsen on U.S. Supreme Court Decision on DOMA

  “I applaud the Supreme Court for correctly concluding that the Defense of Marriage Act represents an unconstitutional deprivation of equal liberty. Discrimination based on sexual orientation has no place in our society or under our laws."

• 6/13/2013 Statement from Attorney General Jepsen on Appeal of Second Circuit Decision in SEBAC Case

  “After careful consideration, I have decided to seek review of the Second Circuit’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in light of the potentially significant fiscal consequences for Connecticut taxpayers.”

• 6/7/2013 AG, OCC Win Refunds for Residents Charged Through Unauthorized Sub-metering of Electricity

  Attorney General George Jepsen and Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz said today that refunds have been ordered to tenants of a New Haven apartment building who had been billed for heating and cooling costs through a system that represented illegal sub-metering of electricity.

• 6/6/2013 Consumers Cautioned to Beware Travel and Timeshare Schemes

  Selling or donating your timeshare, or hoping to land a great deal on a vacation getaway? You might be particularly vulnerable to certain scams, Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein and Attorney General George Jepsen warned today.

• 6/5/2013 Attorney General Jepsen Asks Google for Meeting, Information on Glass Privacy Concerns

  Attorney General George Jepsen has asked Google to address concerns related to the company’s new head-mounted computing and recording device, Glass, and the potential impact the device may have on the privacy of Connecticut residents.

• 6/4/2013 Attorney General Jepsen to Regulators: Reject UI Application for Rate Increase

  In a brief filed with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority today, Attorney General George Jepsen said that the electric utility’s application should be rejected and, based on the evidence, UI’s distribution rates should decrease, not increase.