Penalty Amount
$265,000
Monarch Investment and Management Group and affiliated defendants agreed to pay Minnesota $265,000 to resolve allegations that they improperly sought RentHelpMN funds after attempting to evict covered tenants and charged tenants illegal or confusing fees. The settlement provides for tenant restitution and limits certain fees while requiring additional fee disclosures.
The defendants will pay $265,000 to the State, including funds for restitution to tenants who paid improper fees. They must limit certain fees, including certain utility-related administrative fees, and provide tenants additional disclosures about when certain fees may be charged.
Property owners and managers should review lease forms, fee schedules, and property-management agreements for clear disclosure of every tenant charge, limits on recurring or administrative fees, and controls against fees that may be confusing or deceptive. Agreements and procedures related to government rental-assistance programs should require accurate certifications, verification of payments received, and controls preventing eviction actions barred by program commitments. Customer-facing lease documents should specify when fees may be charged, while internal and vendor workflows should support consistent implementation and tenant restitution if improper charges are identified.
Entity
Monarch Investment and Management Group
Industry
Real Estate"Monarch Investment and Management Group"
"agreed to pay the State of Minnesota $265,000 to settle two allegations"
"they violated the Minnesota False Claims Act"
"all in violation of various Minnesota consumer-protection laws"
"Monarch routinely charged tenants illegal or improper fees, including fees that were not properly disclosed to tenants in their leases, as well as fees that even when disclosed, were confusing and deceptive"
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison updated a consumer alert about Trajector Holdings, LLC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, informing veterans that the court extended their proof-of-claim deadline to November 30, 2026. The release reports no privacy violation, enforcement penalty, or remedy against the company; it also notes that Minnesota and other states joined the bankruptcy proceedings.
The Minnesota Attorney General alleged that Hendricks Community Hospital Association miscalculated discounts for uninsured patients and used a burdensome charity-care application. The settlement requires $171,800 in refunds or medical-debt reductions for eligible patients and a streamlined charity-care application.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and the attorneys general of New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington sued to block the federal government from conditioning Medicaid funding on states implementing new work requirements. The lawsuit argues that threatening to withhold all Medicaid funding is unconstitutional coercion; the press release describes requested relief, not a court ruling or penalty.
$518K
The Minnesota Attorney General obtained a judgment against Ryan David Pietron and Affordable Home Remodeling, LLC, for deceiving homeowners, taking payment for renovation work that was not performed, and misrepresenting Pietron’s contractor licensing status. The judgment permanently bars them from Minnesota’s residential construction industry and orders restitution, civil penalties, and costs totaling $1,069,000.
A federal court ruled that the Trump Administration unlawfully conditioned public-safety grants on states’ cooperation with immigration enforcement and permanently blocked implementation or enforcement of those conditions. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 23 states brought the lawsuit; the action concerns grant conditions, not privacy violations.
The Minnesota Attorney General issued an alert urging Medicare beneficiaries to review coverage options after insurers reduced or discontinued Medicare Advantage plans in Minnesota. The release describes no privacy enforcement action, monetary penalty, or remedy.