Attorney General William Tong led a bipartisan coalition of 41 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to strengthen consumer protections for airline passengers, criticizing a proposed rule as insufficient. The coalition called for mandatory refunds for cancellations, compensation for delays, and prohibitions on practices like upselling after cancellations, amid over 260 complaints received by Connecticut AG's office.
In-house legal teams should review customer-facing agreements with airlines, including contracts of carriage, terms of service, and refund policies. Focus on clauses governing refunds for cancellations or significant schedule changes, compensation for delays, terms for travel vouchers/credits (especially expiration), and prohibitions on post-cancellation upselling. Updates may be needed to align with potential DOT rules requiring automatic refunds, non-expiring vouchers for disease-related cancellations, and clearer definitions of 'significant change' to ensure compliance and mitigate enforcement risk.
Entity
Airlines
Also known as: Airline Industry
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2022-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-calls-for-stronger-consumer-protections-against-airline-abuses
usdot nprm final 34 ags corrected.pdf?rev=78558ab5565245ff90
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2022/usdot-nprm--final-34-ags-corrected.pdf?rev=78558ab5565245ff900efb273f0fa641&hash=F03394C8FDB0970770A1717E37BFBD8A
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
$29.6M
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport joined a coalition of 48 states and territories in a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark, a generic drug manufacturer, for allegedly conspiring to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement includes cooperation in ongoing litigations and internal reforms to ensure fair competition.
$29.6M
Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 48 states and territories in a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark, a generic drug manufacturer, to resolve allegations of a widespread conspiracy to artificially inflate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement includes cooperation from Glenmark in ongoing multistate litigations and internal reforms to ensure fair competition and compliance with antitrust laws.
$18.0M
Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 42 attorneys general in a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe, resolving allegations from a 2023 data breach that compromised the genetic data of 6.9 million customers. The settlement includes $150 million in allowed claims, with $18 million paid from bankruptcy funds, and requires enhanced data security measures for the new entity holding the data.
Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general in suing to block the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. by Paramount Skydance Corporation. The lawsuit alleges the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in theatrical film distribution and basic cable television licensing, which would harm consumers through higher prices and reduced quality.
Attorney General William Tong and 48 other attorneys general submitted comments to the FCC urging stronger rules to prevent scammers from accessing legitimate telephone numbers for illegal robocalls. The coalition is responding to the FCC's proposed rules and asks for measures such as stronger certification, reporting, and prohibitions on number cycling.
$45.0M
Attorney General Tong announced a $45 million multistate settlement with Block, Inc., the company behind Cash App, for misleading consumers about the safety of the platform, failing to protect users from fraud, and not providing promised fraud protection and resolution services. The settlement requires Block to implement major reforms including real customer support, transparent communications, and security commitments, and reaffirms Block's commitment to distribute between $75 million and $120 million to compensate consumers as part of a separate CFPB settlement.