Privacy and consumer protection enforcement actions tracked from official Minnesota Attorney General sources.
Official enforcement page30
Total Actions
$143.9M
Total Fines
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County against C4D, LLC, its owners Travis Benoit and Steven Legatt, and related entity Five Points Properties, LLC, alleging 18 counts of violating the Minnesota Human Rights Act, federal lending laws, and state consumer-fraud and contract-for-deed laws. The complaint alleges the defendants sold homes through predatory contracts for deed with inflated prices, hidden finance charges, and large annual balloon payments that leave buyers immediately underwater and forfeit all equity upon default, while targeting Somali-American Muslims on the basis of religion and national origin — a form of 'reverse redlining.' The AG seeks an injunction, civil penalties, and cancellation or reformation of existing contracts; no penalty amounts have been determined.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the first round of restitution, issuing 8 refund checks totaling $38,634 to consumers harmed by Omega Dental Care, a defunct Eden Prairie dental clinic owned and operated by Anne Soberay. The refunds, paid from the state's Consumer Protection Restitution Account (CPRA), compensate consumers who paid out of pocket for dental services that were never provided. The refunds follow an earlier settlement between the AG's office and Omega Dental Care and Soberay. Note: this is a consumer protection (non-delivery of services) action, not a privacy enforcement action; no privacy violation types from the taxonomy apply.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that used car dealer Midwest Car Search and its owner Scott Spiczka agreed to reform their business practices and pay $100,000 to resolve allegations that they violated Minnesota's Used Car Law and other consumer-protection laws through five deceptive practices, including fake 'certified' claims, illegally added vehicle service contracts, denied warranties, missing Buyer's Guide disclosures, and operating under an unregistered trade name that exploited Spanish speakers. The settlement resolves the AG's April 23, 2024 lawsuit and makes permanent a prior court order requiring the dealer to cease the deceptive conduct. Note: this is a consumer-protection enforcement action, not a privacy matter, so violation-type mapping to the privacy taxonomy is approximate.
$100K
The Minnesota Attorney General entered into a 10-year oversight agreement with Sanford Health and North Memorial Health to allow their merger to proceed, conditioned on commitments to invest $600 million in Minnesota hospitals, maintain core services including the Level 1 trauma center at Robbinsdale Hospital, honor collective-bargaining agreements, and maintain charity care and government program participation. The agreement also requires quarterly meetings and annual reporting to the Attorney General for 10 years.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed an opposition to X.AI's motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to block enforcement of Minnesota's anti-nudification law, which bans commercial platforms from allowing users to generate synthetic intimate images of real people. The court previously denied X.AI's motion for a temporary restraining order, and the law took effect August 1, 2026. The AG argues X.AI cannot show irreparable harm and is unlikely to prevail on the merits of its First Amendment claims.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison reached a settlement with Stevens Community Medical Center (SCMC) over allegations that SCMC improperly calculated discounts required for uninsured patients with household incomes under $125,000, violating the Minnesota Hospital Agreement and state law. As a result, some uninsured patients were billed up to 20.5% more than allowed. SCMC must provide up to $1,412,776.25 in refunds or medical-debt reductions to potentially eligible patients.
$1.4M
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a settlement with Unlock Partnership Solutions, Inc. over allegations that its 'home equity agreements' were actually unlawful mortgage loans that violated Minnesota's predatory interest rate caps and disclosure requirements. Unlock agreed to pay $944,626 in monetary and debt relief, cease lending unless licensed, and comply with Minnesota mortgage laws.
$945K
Attorney General Ellison joined a coalition of 23 other states and DC to sue the Trump administration over a policy that would allow the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to share sensitive TANF recipient data with other federal agencies. The lawsuit argues the policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause, and seeks to block its implementation.
The Minnesota court denied X.AI's request for a temporary restraining order that would have halted enforcement of Minnesota's first-in-the-nation AI nudification ban (HF 1606). The law bans technology that generates fake nude images of real people, and Attorney General Ellison argued that X.AI's delay in filing the motion showed no immediate harm. The court agreed, allowing the law to take effect as planned.
The Minnesota Attorney General reached a civil settlement with MN Fundraising Initiative (MNFI), a sham charity that misclassified hundreds of concession stand workers as 'volunteers' while paying them 'grants' in exchange for their labor. The scheme violated Minnesota nonprofit corporation laws, the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act, and misclassification statutes. Under the settlement, MNFI must dissolve and file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general submitted comments to the FCC urging stronger Know Your Customer (KYC) rules to prevent scammers from using the U.S. communications network for illegal robocalls. The coalition recommends requiring providers to understand customers' business practices, holding all originating providers to KYC standards, and collecting additional information on high-risk customers. This effort is part of Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup.
The Minnesota Attorney General is holding a community forum to gather public input on the proposed acquisition of Allina Health by Sutter Health. The review is conducted under Minnesota's health care transaction law, charities law, and antitrust law to determine if the transaction is in the public interest. No enforcement action has been taken; this is a public consultation.
This press release is about a court temporarily blocking the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance Corporation based on antitrust concerns under the Clayton Act. It is not a privacy-related enforcement action. The Minnesota Attorney General joined a multistate coalition to challenge the merger, and the court granted a temporary restraining order.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined a 48-state coalition in a $29.6 million settlement with generic-drug manufacturer Glenmark to resolve allegations of a widespread conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement requires Glenmark to cooperate in ongoing multistate lawsuits and implement internal reforms to ensure compliance with antitrust laws.
$29.6M
The Minnesota Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Maduro Distributors, Inc. (doing business as Loon) for illegally manufacturing, distributing, and selling flavored vapes that appeal to minors, using flavors like 'Cotton Candy' and 'Blue Razz Slushy' and kid-friendly characters. The lawsuit also alleges Loon deceptively marketed its products as accepted for FDA approval when they were not. The state seeks a permanent injunction, civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation, restitution, and attorney fees.
Attorney General Ellison and 48 other attorneys general called on the FCC to strengthen rules to cut off scammers' access to legitimate telephone numbers. The coalition is responding to the FCC's proposed rules to combat illegal robocalls and texts, which cost Americans nearly $2 billion last year.
A coalition of 42 state attorneys general reached a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe over a 2023 data breach that compromised the genetic data of 6.9 million customers. The settlement provides $18 million from bankruptcy funds, with Minnesota receiving $514,871, and imposes data security requirements on the successor entity, 23andMe Research Institute.
$18.0M
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined a coalition of 12 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The lawsuit alleges that the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in theatrical film distribution and basic cable television channel licensing, threatening higher prices and reduced innovation for consumers.
Minnesota AG Ellison and a coalition of 37 AGs and the federal government reached a $36.5 million settlement with CVS Pharmacy, Inc. for allegedly submitting false Medicaid claims related to insulin pens from 2010-2020. CVS overbilled government healthcare programs by requesting reimbursement for ineligible refills and under-reporting days of supply.
$36.5M
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison reached a settlement with Annelle Soberay and Omega Dental Care, a defunct dental clinic that shut down in late 2024 without providing advance notice or transitional care to patients. The settlement allows consumers to obtain refunds from the Consumer Protection Restitution Account for fees paid for services that were never provided.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with the FTC and attorneys general of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, settled an antitrust lawsuit against John Deere. The settlement requires Deere to provide farmers and independent repair providers with the same repair resources previously only available to authorized dealers for 10 years, and to pay $1 million in legal costs.
$1.0M
Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a $45 million multistate settlement with Block, Inc., the company behind Cash App. The settlement resolves allegations that Block misled consumers about the safety of Cash App, failed to protect users from fraud, and did not provide promised fraud protection and resolution. Block agreed to implement responsible practices including maintaining customer support, offering live support, stopping misleading claims, and fulfilling legal obligations to investigate fraud and reimburse users.
$45.0M
Attorney General Ellison secured a settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for illegally coordinating to manipulate egg prices. The companies secretly communicated to influence a daily price index, artificially raising costs for consumers. The settlement includes 53 million donated eggs, $3.3 million in payments, and compliance measures.
$3.3M
A Minnesota jury found home seller Chadwick Banken liable for violating the Minnesota Human Rights Act by targeting Muslim homebuyers in a deceptive contract for deed scheme. The scheme involved inflated prices, large down payments, and balloon payments designed to cause defaults, allowing Banken to keep payments and resell properties. Remedies including restitution will be determined at a later hearing.
Attorney General Ellison, as part of a bipartisan coalition of nine attorneys general, announced a $7 million settlement with property management company LivCor, LLC. The settlement resolves allegations that LivCor used RealPage's revenue management system to illegally share and gather confidential pricing information with competing landlords, enabling them to keep rental prices artificially high. LivCor must cease using such software, refrain from sharing competitively sensitive information, establish an antitrust compliance program, and cooperate in ongoing litigation against RealPage.
$7.0M
The Minnesota Attorney General's Office is holding a community forum to gather public input on the proposed acquisition of Allina Health by Sutter Health. The review will assess compliance with state health care transaction law, charities law, and antitrust law to determine if the transaction is in the public interest.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in suing the Trump administration over new federal contract terms intended to purge DEI. The lawsuit alleges the agencies violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide public notice or accept comments, exceeding legal authority, and imposing vague requirements that threaten severe penalties on contractors.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against Bridge It, Inc. (doing business as Brigit) for violating Minnesota's payday lending laws. The lawsuit alleges Brigit operates as an unlicensed lender making short-term loans with APRs exceeding 300%, without disclosing rates or complying with state interest caps and disclosure requirements.
Attorney General Ellison announced a $4.87 million multistate settlement with GS Labs for overcharging patients, charging unlawful administrative fees, and failing to deliver timely COVID-19 test results. The settlement includes $3.63 million in restitution to affected consumers and $1.25 million to the multistate group, along with injunctive relief if GS Labs resumes operations.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison settled a lawsuit against Fleet Farm for negligently selling at least 37 firearms to two straw purchasers over 16 months, one of which was used in a fatal shooting. The $1 million settlement requires Fleet Farm to implement significant policy changes, pay the penalty, and publicly disclose 694 internal documents now housed in UCSF's Industry Documents Library.
$1.0M