Thursday - October 31, 2024
News Tipoffs - New Jersey Editors Newsletter for Wednesday June 12, 2024 ( 35 items )  

4 Additional States Join Justice Department's Suit Against Apple for Monopolizing Smartphone Markets
WASHINGTON, June 12 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: The Attorneys General of Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington today joined the civil antitrust lawsuit brought by the Justice Department, 15 states and the District of Columbia against Apple in March for monopolizing multiple smartphone markets in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The department and its now expanded group of 20 co-plaintiffs filed an amended complaint in  more

A Team of Teams: How Multi-Agency Power Teams Restore Vital Services After Disasters
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, June 12 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Pittsburgh District issued the following news release: By Michel Sauret, Pittsburgh District A power outage that began in Ohio spread across seven states and into Canada as brush fires caused transmission lines to go out of service. Mass transit shut down, traffic chaos filled the streets, cell phone towers became overwhelmed, and approximately 5,000 critical facilities requested emergency generators after losing power. A   more

Ark. A.G. Griffin Announces Arkansas Will Receive $12.7 Million as Part of National Settlement Against Johnson & Johnson
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, June 12 -- Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement on June 11, 2024: * * * Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing Arkansas will receive $12,716,700.92 as its share of a nationwide $700 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over its marketing of talc-based baby powder and body powder products: "This settlement arose from allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers abou  more

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Arkansas, Massachusetts and Texas as Additional Recipients for FEMA's Swift Current Program for Flood Resilience Through Investing in America Agenda
WASHINGTON, June 11 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: There Are Now 21 States and One Tribal Nation Selected to Receive Flood Mitigation Funding Today, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced that Arkansas and Massachusetts are each eligible for up to $20 million in funding to reduce flood risks and Texas is eligible for up to another $40 million. The funding is available through the fiscal year 2023 Swift   more

BLS: Employment Up 2.9% Over the Year in Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Metropolitan Division
WASHINGTON, June 10 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on June 10, 2024, from Economics Daily: * * * Among large metropolitan areas that are divided into metropolitan divisions, growth in nonfarm payroll employment over the year ended April 2024 ranged from 0.1 percent in the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts-New Hampshire; Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan; and San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California, metropolitan areas t  more

Conn. A.G. Tong Announces $700 Million Settlement Against Johnson and Johnson
HARTFORD, Connecticut, June 12 -- Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General William Tong and 42 other attorneys general today announced a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. As part of the settlement, Connecticut will receive $9,273,125.22. This settlement is pending judicial approval. "Johnson & Joh  more

D.C. A.G. Schwalb Announces Johnson & Johnson Will Pay $700 Million for Deceiving Customers About Dangerous Baby Powder Products
WASHINGTON, June 12 -- District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Today, Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb and 42 other state attorneys general reached a $700 million nationwide settlement with Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations of deceptive marketing practices for baby powder and body powder products containing talc. "District residents and customers nationwide deserve the truth about products they're purchasing, especially  more

Del. A.G. Jennings Reaches $700 Million Settlement Against Johnson and Johnson
DOVER, Delaware, June 12 -- Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings issued the following news release: Attorney General Kathy Jennings and 42 other attorneys general reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. The consent judgment filed in this lawsuit addresses allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers in advertisements related   more

Fla. A.G. Moody Leads Multistate Action Against Johnson & Johnson and Secures $700 Million
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, June 12 -- Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued the following news release: Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading 42 other attorneys general in a multistate action to secure $700 million nationwide from Johnson & Johnson. The action resolves allegations related to Johnson & Johnson's marketing of former baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. This action addresses allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers in a  more

ILL. A.G. RAOUL ASKS SUPREME COURT TO RULE ON STATES' AUTHORITY TO REGULATE PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS
CHICAGO, Illinois, June 12 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 32 attorneys general, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari in a case addressing the states' authority to regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). In an amicus brief (https://ilag-dev.dotcms.cloud/dA/e9279006-5dfa-42e6-bf36-b27458b7fb7c/fileAsset/Mulready%20v.%20PCMA%20Amicus%20Brief%20-%20Certiora  more

ILL. A.G. RAOUL CALLS ON HUD TO STANDARDIZE PUBLIC HOUSING SCREENING FOR APPLICANTS WITH ARREST OR CONVICTION RECORDS
CHICAGO, Illinois, June 11 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on June 10, 2024: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 13 attorneys general, today encouraged the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to standardize the federal rules to screen public housing applicants with arrest or conviction records. Attorney General Raoul and the coalition issued a comment letter (https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/News-Room/Current  more

ILL. A.G. RAOUL REACHES $700 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH JOHNSON & JOHNSON
CHICAGO, Illinois, June 12 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a bipartisan group of 43 attorneys general, today announced a nationwide settlement with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to resolve allegations the company deceptively promoted and misled consumers in advertisements related to the safety and purity of some talcum powder products, including baby powder and body powder. "Consumers rely on accura  more

John Jay Hoffman Delivers Remarks at New Jersey Supreme Court Nomination Announcement
TRENTON, New Jersey, June 12 -- Gov. Phil Murphy, D-New Jersey, posted the following remarks on June 10, 2024, by John Jay Hoffman about his New Jersey Supreme Court nomination: * * * Governor, thank you for your incredibly warm introduction. Thank you for this unbelievable opportunity, and thank you for having patience with me on Friday when you asked me a question that every lawyer in New Jersey dreams to be asked, and I took about 30 seconds to come out with some verbalization of a response  more

Maine A.G. Frey Reaches $700 Million Settlement Against Johnson and Johnson
AUGUSTA, Maine, June 12 -- Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey issued the following news release: Attorney General Aaron Frey and 42 other attorneys general reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. The consent judgment filed in this lawsuit addresses allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers in advertisements related to the safet  more

Mass. A.G. Campbell: Massachusetts To Receive Over $14 Million From Settlement With Johnson & Johnson For Alleged Deceptive Marketing Of Talc-Containing Products
BOSTON, Massachusetts, June 12 -- Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and 42 other attorneys general have reached a $700 million nationwide settlement, via a proposed consent judgment filed today in Suffolk Superior Court, with Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's talc-containing baby powder and body powder products. Massachuse  more

Mich. A.G. Nessel Reaches $700 Million Settlement Against Johnson and Johnson
LANSING, Michigan, June 12 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and 42 other attorneys general reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. The consent judgment (https://www.michigan.gov/ag/-/media/Project/Websites/AG/releases/2024/June/JJ-Consent-Judgment.pdf?rev=480f8ddbb25641348a2c3d0688  more

N.C. A.G. Stein Leads Bipartisan Coalition to Protect Kids Online
RALEIGH, North Carolina, June 12 -- North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Josh Stein today led a bipartisan group of 44 Attorneys General in sending a letter to Congress endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024. The Act would establish a commission to investigate and make recommendations on solutions to protect kids online and improve the ability of law enforcement agencie  more

N.J. A.G. Platkin Co-Leads Comment Letter to Support Fair Housing Rule Proposed by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
TRENTON, New Jersey, June 12 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release: Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division on Civil Rights (DCR) joined with the Attorneys General of Maryland, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania to co-lead a multistate comment letter supporting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) proposed rule to improve access to safe and affordable housing. The Proposed Rule, titled Reducing Barriers to HUD-Assi  more

N.J. A.G. Platkin, 42 States Announce $700 Million Johnson & Johnson Settlement
TRENTON, New Jersey, June 12 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs, together with 42 other Attorneys General, today announced that they reached a $700 million nationwide settlement with Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations related to the marketing of talc-based baby powder and body powder products. As part of that settlement, New Jersey will receive just o  more

N.J. Gov. Murphy Issues Remarks on Nomination Hoffman to N.J. Supreme Court
TRENTON, New Jersey, June 11 -- Gov. Phil Murphy, D-New Jersey, issued the following remarks on June 10, 2024, announcing his intention to nominate John Hoffman to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court: * * * Good afternoon, everyone. Today, alongside members of leadership in the State Senate, I am honored to announce my fifth nomination to the New Jersey Supreme Court. Barring any unexpected events, this will be the last Supreme Court pick of my administration. And it is fitting that I mak  more

N.J. U.S. Attorney: Orthopedic Surgeon Admits Multiple Counts of Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances
NEWARK, New Jersey, June 11 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release: A New Jersey orthopedic surgeon today admitted multiple counts of illegally prescribing pain medication to his patients, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Evangelos Megariotis, 72, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to seven counts of a 34-count indictment charging him with dispensing Oxycodone, Oxycontin,  more

N.M. A.G. Torrez Endorses the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, June 12 -- New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: As part of a bipartisan coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general, Attorney General New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez joined a letter sent by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) to Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) and U.S. House leadership endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024. The Act w  more

N.Y. A.G. James Helps Secure $700 Million From Johnson & Johnson Over Products That Contained Dangerous Talcum Powder
NEW YORK, June 12 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general today secured $700 million from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for deceptively marketing and selling baby powder and body powder products that contained dangerous talcum powder. New York will receive $44 million from the consent judgment with J&J. For years, J&J targeted beauty salons and churches in   more

N.Y. Environmental Conservation Dept. Announces Suite of Actions to Protect Public Safety and Promote Sustainable Use of State Lands
ALBANY, New York, June 12 -- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar today announced new and continued efforts for the 2024 outdoor recreation season to protect public safety and promote sustainable recreation in the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve. DEC's actions are designed specifically to improve Adirondack and Catskill   more

N.Y. U.S. Attorney: Fugitive High-Ranking MS-13 Leader Arrested on Terrorism Charges
CENTRAL ISLIP, New York, June 11 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York issued the following news release: Yesterday afternoon, in federal court in Houston, Texas, Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios, also known as "Grenas de Stoners" and "Oso de Stoners," a high-ranking leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as "MS-13," was ordered to be transferred in custody to the Eastern District of New York where he, together with 13 other high-ranking MS-13 leaders, are charge  more

National Academy of Engineering: EngineerGirl 2024 Writing Contest Winners Announced
WASHINGTON, June 12 -- The National Academy of Engineering issued the following news release: The National Academy of Engineering announced the winners of its 2024 EngineerGirl Writing Contest. This year's competition asked students in elementary through high school to write an essay exploring the lifecycle of an object that is used in daily life. This year's contest prompt, "The Secret Life of Everyday Items", asked students to focus on the specific contributions and roles of engineers through  more

Neb. A.G. Hilgers and Coalition of AGs Reach $700 Million Settlement Against Johnson and Johnson
LINCOLN, Nebraska, June 12 -- Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued the following news release: Nebraska Attorney General Hilgers and 42 other attorneys general reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. The settlement addresses allegations that Johnson & Johnson deceptively promoted and misled consumers in advertisements related to the safety and purity of  more

Okla. A.G. Drummond Announces Oklahoma Will Join Multistate $700M Settlement With Johnson & Johnson
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, June 12 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Gentner Drummond and 42 other attorneys general have reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. The consent judgment filed in the lawsuit addresses allegations that the company deceptively promoted and misled consumers   more

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory: New Plasma Escape Mechanism Could Protect Fusion Vessels From Excessive Heat
WASHINGTON, June 12 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory issued the following news: The furious exhaust heat generated by a fusing plasma in a commercial-scale reactor may not be as damaging to the vessel's innards as once thought, according to researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the ITER Organization(ITER). "This discovery fundamentally changes how we think  more

R.I. A.G. Neronha Reaches Nearly $7 Million Settlement With Johnson & Johnson
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, June 12 -- Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and 42 other attorneys general have reached a $700 million nationwide settlement with Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations related to the marketing of the company's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. Talc is a naturally occurring mineral alleged in numerous other lawsuits filed by private plaintiffs i  more

Texas A.G. Paxton Leads Multistate Coalition Reaching Landmark $700 Million Settlement Against Johnson & Johnson Over Misleading Safety Claims Regarding Its Talc-Based Baby Powder
AUSTIN, Texas, June 12 -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued the following news release: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and 42 other attorneys general reached a $700 million nationwide settlement to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. Texas, Florida, and North Carolina led an executive committee that included Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, Maryland, New York, and Washington. The consent judgmen  more

Va. A.G. Miyares Urges SCOTUS to Rule On States' Authority to Regulate PBMs
RICHMOND, Virginia, June 12 -- Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Jason Miyares today joined a bipartisan 32-state coalition requesting that the United States Supreme Court review a decision limiting Oklahoma's authority to regulate abusive pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). In an amicus brief, Attorney General Miyares and the coalition ask the Court to grant Oklahoma's request to review a decision from the U.S. Court  more

Vt. A.G. Clark Announces $3.1 Million Settlement With Johnson & Johnson Over Talc Products Potentially Containing Asbestos
MONTPELIER, Vermont, June 12 -- Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Vermont will receive $3.1 million over the next four years from Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations related to the marketing of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and body powder products that contained talc, which often contained asbestos. Today's settlement is the result of a four-year, multistate investigation involvi  more

Wash. A.G. Ferguson to Join US Department of Justice Lawsuit Asserting Apple Unlawfully Monopolized Smartphone Market
SEATTLE, Washington, June 12 -- Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following news release on June 11, 2024: Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today he will partner with the U.S. Department of Justice and a bipartisan group of 20 attorneys general in an antitrust lawsuit against Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market. The federal lawsuit, originally filed on March 21 in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, asserts Apple has unlawful monopoly pow  more

White House Fact Sheet: VP Harris Announces Proposal to Prohibit Medical Bills From Being Included on Credit Reports, Calls
WASHINGTON, June 12 (TNSfact) -- The White House issued the following fact sheet on June 11, 2024: * * * Vice President Harris Announces Proposal to Prohibit Medical Bills from Being Included on Credit Reports and Calls on States and Localities to Take Further Actions to Reduce Medical Debt * * * American Rescue Plan funds are being used to eliminate an estimated $7 billion in medical debt for up to nearly 3 million of Americans; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) proposal wou  more