Penalty Amount
$39,500,000
Consumers Affected
78,800,000
New Jersey Attorney General announced a multi-state settlement with Anthem, Inc. over a 2015 data breach that exposed personal information of over 78 million Americans, including 1.15 million New Jersey residents. Anthem will pay $39.5 million to participating states and implement enhanced cybersecurity measures.
Anthem agreed to pay $39.5 million in penalties and to implement enhanced cybersecurity and governance provisions to improve data security practices.
In-house legal teams should review all agreements involving personal data handling, including vendor contracts, customer terms of service, data processing agreements, and employee confidentiality agreements. Key clauses to scrutinize are data security requirements, breach notification procedures, data retention schedules, audit rights, and indemnification for data breaches. Based on this settlement, contracts should be updated to include enhanced cybersecurity measures such as mandatory encryption, strict access controls, regular security audits, and clear governance provisions. Ensure breach notification timelines and methods comply with applicable state laws, and add clauses requiring vendors to adhere to specific security frameworks and provide immediate notification of security incidents.
Entity
Anthem, Inc.
Also known as: Anthem
Industry
HealthcareOfficial Press Release
https://www.njoag.gov/ag-grewal-nj-resolves-anthem-data-breach-investigation-for-over-500000-and-policy-changes-at-the-health-insurance-company/
Anthem Final Assurance New Jersey
https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases20/Anthem-Final-Assurance-New-Jersey.pdf
New Jersey Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.njoag.gov/about/divisions-and-offices/division-of-consumer-affairs/
"Anthem, Inc."
"$39.5 million"
"massive data breach"
$8.7M
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced an $8.69 million settlement with health insurer Anthem, Inc. resolving allegations that the company violated state and federal privacy laws by failing to protect patient personal data in a 2014 data breach. The breach, announced in 2015, exposed personal information of 78 million consumers nationwide, including 13.5 million Californians, due to Anthem’s inadequate information security practices. The settlement includes injunctive terms requiring Anthem to overhaul its information security program to address vulnerabilities that enabled the breach.
$100K
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced a Consent Order with King Distribution LLC and 17 related retail smoke shops, resolving allegations that the companies illegally sold flavored vapor products in violation of New Jersey’s consumer protection laws. The Consent Order imposes a $100,000 civil penalty, requires reimbursement of $22,279 in investigation costs, and prohibits the companies from selling or distributing flavored vapor products in New Jersey. The enforcement action is part of New Jersey’s ongoing efforts to protect youth from flavored vape products, which have been permanently banned in the state since January 2020.
The New Jersey Bureau of Securities issued a Cease and Desist Order on April 30, 2026, against Titan Macro Finance for operating an investment fraud scheme via WhatsApp and Instagram that defrauded at least one New Jersey investor of $64,000. The scheme involved unregistered broker-dealer activity, fake trading profits, and undisclosed fees to access investor funds. The action was coordinated with the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which issued a similar order against the entity for violating California’s Commodity Code.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Bureau of Securities issued a public warning to state residents about fraudulent investment schemes proliferating on Meta-owned platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The alert details common scam tactics such as pump-and-dump schemes, confidence scams, and fraudulent cryptocurrency offerings, and provides tips for residents to avoid victimization. No enforcement action against any entity was announced in this release.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport led a bipartisan coalition of 27 state attorneys general in submitting a comment letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging federal rulemaking to regulate hidden and deceptive rental housing fees. The AG also issued guidance clarifying New Jersey’s new $50 rental application fee cap, effective May 1, 2026, warning that deceptive fee practices may violate the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. No specific enforcement action against a named individual entity was announced, with enforcement of the fee cap set to begin May 1, 2026.
$2.0M
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced a multistate settlement with NCL Bahamas, Ltd. (Norwegian Cruise Line) resolving allegations of deceptive sales practices and unfair cancellation, refund, and future cruise credit policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The settlement requires NCL to pay $2 million to participating states, implement employee training and management approval processes for sales communications during disasters, and prohibits deceptive sales statements and prioritizing sales over consumer health and safety. NCL has already issued over $3 billion in refunds and future cruise credits to consumers nationwide related to the underlying allegations.