2020 Press Releases

Page 12 of 18

• 5/26/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins 38 AGs Urging Congress to Fund Expanded Access to Broadband

  Attorney General William Tong has joined 38 attorneys general in urging Congress to help ensure that all Americans have the home internet connectivity necessary to participate in telemedicine, teleschooling, and telework as part of any additional legislation that provides relief and recovery resources related to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 5/22/2020 Court Blocks Fraudulent Business from Operating in Connecticut Following Action by Attorney General Tong

  A Connecticut Superior Court judge has barred Sports Media Advertising, a Texas-based company, from doing business in Connecticut until the court finds that it has complied with a civil investigative demand issued in connection with an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General.

• 5/22/2020 Federal Court of Appeals Court Strikes Down Immigration Court Ruling Denying Connecticut Resident the Benefit of a State Pardon

  On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed an immigration court decision that denied Richard Marvin Thompson the full benefit of his Connecticut pardon.

• 5/21/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges Congress to Pass Safeguarding America's First Responders Act

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general urging Congress to pass S.3607, the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act. The Act would permit the families of first responders who die or are permanently and totally disabled as a result of COVID-19 to receive the same federal benefits extended to first responders, or their survivors, otherwise killed or injured in the line of duty. Current federal law would only allow survivors access to certain benefits if evidence is provided proving the deceased or permanently disabled first responder contracted COVID-19 while on duty.

• 5/20/2020 AG Tong Seeks Deadline Extension for Families Filing Claims Against Purdue Pharma In Light of COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong has asked the court overseeing the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy to extend the deadline for filing claims against the company, so that people do not lose their rights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 5/20/2020 Attorney General Tong Files Brief in Support of Paid Sick Leave for Airline Workers

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general filing an amicus brief in support of paid sick leave for airline flight crew workers, benefits that the coalition argue are particularly important to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

• 5/19/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces Settlement with Santander

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 34 attorneys general led announcing a settlement today with Santander Consumer USA Inc. (Santander) that includes approximately $550 million in relief for consumers with even more relief in additional deficiency waivers expected. The settlement resolves allegations that Santander violated consumer protection laws by exposing subprime consumers to unnecessarily high levels of risk and knowingly placing these consumers into auto loans with a high probability of default.

• 5/18/2020 Attorney General Tong Files Brief Defending Due Process Rights of Immigrant Detainees

  Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 18 attorneys general filing a friend of the court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit defending due process rights of immigrant detainees who have been unlawfully denied bond.

• 5/14/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges Wedding Venues and Vendors to Work Collaboratively With Couples as COVID19 Impacts Peak Wedding Season

  As Connecticut enters its peak wedding season, Attorney General William Tong today urged vendors to work with couples forced to cancel and postpone their weddings due to COVID-19. The Office of the Attorney General has received multiple complaints from couples recently who have been denied refunds, quoted high fees, and given limited flexibility in attempting to reschedule weddings planned for this spring and summer.

• 5/13/2020 AG Tong Urges Amazon and Whole Foods to Strengthen Worker Protections During COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey calling on Amazon and Whole Foods to strengthen measures to protect the health and safety of their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 5/12/2020 Attorney General Tong Thanks Chinese Ambassador, Connecticut Chinese-Americans for Facilitating Largest Shipment Ever of Personal Protective Equipment to Connecticut

  Attorney General William Tong today thanked Chinese Ambassador Huang Ping, the Consul General in New York, and Fairfield County based Chinese-Americans who worked jointly with the Attorney General and the Governor’s office to help facilitate today’s shipment of personal protective equipment to combat COVID-19.

• 5/8/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges FERC to Halt Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Approvals During COVID-19 Crisis

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 11 attorneys general in calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to impose an immediate moratorium on approvals of all new and pending applications for natural gas pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, and related fossil-fuel infrastructure projects until the end of the COVID-19 crisis.

• 5/7/2020 AG Tong Urges Congress to Strengthen Paycheck Protection Program

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 23 state attorneys general calling for key changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to ensure that funds are distributed fairly and equitably.

• 5/6/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Coalition of 20 States and the District of Columbia Defending the ACA in U.S. Supreme Court

  Attorney General William Tong today joined 21 attorneys general filing a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against efforts by the Trump Administration and the state of Texas to repeal the law and imperil the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans.

• 5/6/2020 Connecticut Announces Joint State-Federal COVID-19 Fraud Task Force

  Attorney General William Tong, U.S. Attorney John Durham, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo announced formation of a joint federal-state task force combatting COVID-19 related fraud in Connecticut. The task force will investigate and prosecute a wide range of misconduct related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including price gouging, healthcare and government program fraud, consumer and small business scams, lending scams, charities fraud, and cyber fraud. Violators may be subject to civil fines and penalties and/or state or federal criminal prosecution.