2020 Press Releases

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• 4/21/2020 Attorney General Tong Announces Price Gouging Investigation Into Five Amazon Retailers

  Attorney General William Tong announced today he has issued civil investigative demands to five online retailers following an internal review by Amazon that flagged large price increases in high-demand items including masks, sanitizer and antibacterial wipes. The civil investigative demands seek detailed information from the five Connecticut vendors on pricing for key retail items in high demand, including wholesale prices paid by the vendors.

• 4/20/2020 Attorney General Tong Statement in Support of the Governor's Executive Orders

  Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement in support of Governor Lamont’s executive orders.

• 4/20/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Coalition Opposing Unconstitutional Arkansas Abortion Ban During COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong has joined a multistate coalition of 19 attorneys general in seeking to stop the State of Arkansas from using the COVID-19 crisis as a ruse to ban almost all procedural abortions in the state. The coalition filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, supporting the plaintiffs in Little Rock Family Planning Services v. In re Leslie Rutledge.

• 4/16/2020 Office of the Attorney General Aids Consumers with COVID-19 Travel Concerns

  The Office of the Attorney General has received over 100 complaints from consumers seeking assistance obtaining refunds for travel cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Complaints include consumers unable to get refunds from airlines, challenges cancelling and postponing cruises, and difficulties cancelling or changing hotel reservations.

• 4/13/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges Supreme Court to Reconsider Public Charge Rule Due to COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of three states and New York City in filing a motion to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit implementation of the Public Charge Rule in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

• 4/13/2020 After Website Publishes 3D Printed Gun Blueprints, Attorney General Tong Calls on State Department to Use its Civil and Criminal Authority to Protect Public

  After Defense Distributed published 3D-printed gun blueprints in violation of federal law, Attorney General William Tong today joined attorneys general from across the nation urging the U.S. Department of State to use its civil and criminal enforcement powers to enforce the law and protect the public.

• 4/8/2020 Attorney General Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Seagull Announce Investigation Into Frontier Communications Following Over 1,000 Consumer Complaints

  Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull today announced an investigation into Frontier Communications following consumer complaints regarding excessive charges, poor service quality and unsatisfactory customer service that began after Frontier acquired Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET) in 2014.

• 4/6/2020 Attorney General Tong Calls for Federal HealthCare.Gov Special Enrollment in Response to COVID-19 Emergency

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider their decision to deny a special enrollment period on HealthCare.Gov during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 4/3/2020 Office of the Attorney General, Insurance and Consumer Protection Departments Release Travel Guidance During COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull and Connecticut Insurance Department Commissioner Andrew N. Mais released the following guidance to consumers regarding booking and canceling travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 4/3/2020 Attorney General Tong Urges the VA to Suspend Deadlines and Collection Activities for Veterans During COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a multistate coalition of 22 attorneys general led by California in submitting a letter urging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to suspend benefits claims deadlines and debt collection activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 4/3/2020 Attorney General Tong Issues Recommendations for Safe Video Conferencing

  Attorney General William Tong today encouraged all users of video conferencing technology to familiarize themselves with their platforms’ privacy and security features.

• 4/3/2020 Office of the Attorney General, Insurance and Consumer Protection Departments Release Travel Guidance During COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull and Connecticut Insurance Department Commissioner Andrew N. Mais released the following guidance to consumers regarding booking and canceling travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 4/3/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Fight to Stop Texas from Blocking Abortions During Coronavirus Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in Planned Parenthood v. Abbott in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The brief opposes the Texas directive banning nearly all abortion services in the state, using the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health crisis as an excuse.

• 3/31/2020 Attorney General Tong Releases Guidance on Cybersecurity During COVID-19 Pandemic

  Attorney General William Tong today released cyber safety tips to keep in mind during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 3/31/2020 Attorney General Tong Joins Call for Federal Government to Prioritize COVID-Related Rulemaking and Freeze Non-Urgent Rules

  Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in calling on the Trump Administration to suspend non-COVID-19 related rulemaking to allow all parties to focus their full attention on the public health crisis.