Penalty Amount
$2,000,000
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.
Zillow and Redfin must resume competing as before the illegal agreement, Redfin will rebuild its apartment advertising business and sell its own advertising products, the companies must eliminate anticompetitive provisions, and they must pay $2 million to the coalition.
In-house legal teams should review their partnership agreements, content license agreements, and any agreements with competitors for non-compete, exclusivity, and market allocation clauses. They should also review vendor agreements to ensure no provisions restrict competition or create anticompetitive effects, particularly clauses that could be seen as compensating a competitor to exit a market or exclusively display another's listings.
Entity
Zillow Group, Inc. and Redfin Corporation
Industry
Technology"Zillow Group, Inc. (Zillow) and Redfin Corporation (Redfin)"
"The companies must also pay the coalition $2 million."
"violating federal antitrust laws"
"Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down its multifamily rental advertising business and transfer its clients to Zillow"
$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.
Attorney General Tong joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in sending letters to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Board, urging them to deny Opportunity Financial's application to acquire BNC National Bank. The merger would grant OppFi a national bank charter, allowing it to circumvent state lending laws and charge triple-digit interest rates, posing risks to consumers and the banking system.
The court granted the States' motion finding that Nexstar violated the preliminary injunction by placing current or former Nexstar executives on TEGNA's Board of Directors. The court ordered regular reporting to the States and appointed a special master to oversee compliance.