Penalty Amount
$65,000
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $65,000 settlement with Hilario Truck Center and Hilario’s Service Center for illegally collecting junk fees such as PPE fees, administrative fees, and fuel surcharges during police-ordered tows. The settlement requires the companies to pay $10,000 to the state and provide refunds to eligible consumers who paid these unauthorized fees between 2019 and 2024.
The settlement requires Hilario’s to pay $65,000, including $10,000 to the state and refunds to eligible consumers, and to cease charging illegal junk fees such as PPE fees, administrative fees, and fuel surcharges for police-ordered tows.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor and service agreements with towing and wrecking companies, particularly those providing services for law enforcement or private property tows. Key clauses to examine include the fee schedule and pricing structure to ensure compliance with state regulations requiring all-inclusive, tightly regulated tow fees; provisions prohibiting unauthorized or 'junk' fees such as PPE, administrative, or fuel surcharges; transparency requirements for fee disclosure; and refund or restitution obligations for overcharges. Contracts may need amendments to explicitly forbid additional fees beyond the state-mandated rate, incorporate audit rights to verify fee compliance, and align with state consumer protection statutes to avoid liability for illegal fee practices.
Entity
Hilario Truck Center and Hilario’s Service Center
Also known as: Hilario's Towing
Industry
Automotive$2.0M
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of four other states and the FTC sued Zillow and Redfin after Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down its multifamily rental advertising business and transfer clients to Zillow. The settlement requires the companies to restore competition, with Redfin rebuilding its apartment advertising business, and pay $2 million to the coalition.
Attorney General William Tong sent a letter to the Connecticut Insurance Department urging rejection of double-digit rate increases sought by Anthem, ConnectiCare, and UnitedHealthcare for individual and small group health insurance plans covering about 220,000 people. The letter argues the rates exceed inflationary measures and criticizes the carriers for failing to control costs and for poor claims system management, particularly ConnectiCare's transition to Molina Healthcare.
$275K
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $275,000 settlement with TaxAct, an online tax preparation company, over allegations that between January 2018 and December 2022, TaxAct improperly disclosed detailed customer financial information to Meta and Google through third-party tracking technologies without notifying taxpayers. The settlement requires TaxAct to pay $275,000 and implement new third-party tracking compliance measures, including a review committee, written policies, a tag monitoring system, and two independent third-party audits.
$4.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and the Federal Trade Commission announced a $4 million settlement with Manchester City Nissan (Chase Nissan LLC) resolving allegations that the dealership double-charged for 'certified pre-owned' vehicles and collected unauthorized junk fees. The settlement requires payment for consumer redress, prohibits misrepresentations, mandates clear disclosure of the maximum total price, and requires express informed consent for all charges.
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and DHS to block demands for the personal information of 17 million CDL drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data transfer.
Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 10 attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging a new OCC rule that preempts state laws requiring national banks to pay interest on homeowners' mortgage escrow accounts. The lawsuit argues the OCC ignored federal court decisions and bypassed safeguards, and seeks to block the rule.