Penalty Amount
$450,000
Consumers Affected
250,000
Refuah Health Center, Inc. failed to implement adequate data security measures, leading to a ransomware attack that compromised the personal and health information of approximately 250,000 New Yorkers. The New York Attorney General reached a settlement requiring Refuah to invest $1.2 million in cybersecurity improvements and pay $450,000 in penalties.
Refuah must invest $1.2 million to develop and maintain stronger information security programs, implement policies for data access, use multi-factor authentication, rotate credentials, conduct semi-annual audits, encrypt all consumer information, monitor network activity, and maintain an incident response plan. Additionally, Refuah must pay $450,000 in penalties and costs, with $100,000 suspended upon spending the $1.2 million.
In-house legal teams should review all agreements involving the handling of personal and health information, including vendor contracts with IT/cloud service providers, patient consent and authorization forms, and business associate agreements governed by HIPAA. Key clauses to scrutinize are data security standards (mandating encryption, multi-factor authentication, and access controls), breach notification procedures, audit and monitoring rights, and data retention/destruction terms. Given the settlement's focus on inadequate access controls and encryption, contracts must be updated to require specific technical safeguards such as MFA, regular credential rotation, deactivation of inactive accounts, and encryption of sensitive data at rest and in transit. Additionally, ensure agreements include robust incident response obligations, regular security assessments, and clear liability provisions for data breaches.
Entity
Refuah Health Center, Inc.
Also known as: Refuah Health Center
Industry
HealthcareOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-reaches-agreement-hudson-valley-health-care-provider
234333689905 l ;!!Ke5ujdWW74OM!8X4rI5 kjU9sT4qUzCgDvY1BmT VY
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYWcubnkuZ292L3NpdGVzL2RlZmF1bHQvZmlsZXMvc2V0dGxlbWVudHMtYWdyZWVtZW50cy9yZWZ1YWgtYW9kLnBkZiIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyNDAxMDUuODgwNTMxOTEifQ.gcJhBDRQpWffjlBV0hxi4SvENil-rBLL9JNIdG4MgBc/s/959752070/br/234333689905-l__;!!Ke5ujdWW74OM!8X4rI5_kjU9sT4qUzCgDvY1BmT-VYUv8vvUuAxj1F_jMrzpyNK8RIx_bYHI-S2UjqLFaoXMTQEZIvmK9FvqTeFXzAjewn2tm00O-R76g$
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"Refuah Health Center, Inc."
"$450,000"
"failed to maintain appropriate controls to protect and limit access to sensitive data"
"compromised the personal and private health information"
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert on May 18, 2026, warning residents of potential price gouging by transportation service providers during the Long Island Rail Road strike. The alert reminds businesses that New York’s price gouging laws prohibit unconscionable price increases on essential services like transportation during market disruptions. No specific privacy violations or enforcement actions against individual entities were announced in the alert.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert on May 18, 2026, warning businesses against engaging in price gouging on transportation services during the Long Island Rail Road strike. The alert reminds businesses that New York’s price gouging laws prohibit unconscionable price increases on essential goods and services during market disruptions, with potential penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. No specific enforcement action against a particular entity was announced, only a general warning for businesses and a call for consumers to report suspected price gouging.
This press release announces New York Attorney General Letitia James leading a coalition of 21 state attorneys general, the District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania’s Governor in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a Fifth Circuit ruling that would reinstate in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone, a medication used for abortion. The coalition argues the ruling is scientifically unsupported, would restrict telehealth access to reproductive care, and undermines state sovereignty over abortion policy post-Dobbs. This is not a privacy-related enforcement action, as the content addresses reproductive health policy rather than data privacy violations.
$5.0M
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a $5 million settlement from cryptocurrency platform Uphold HQ, Inc. for promoting Cred’s fraudulent CredEarn investment product as safe and reliable, when Cred was making risky loans to uncreditworthy borrowers in China. Uphold also falsely claimed Cred had comprehensive insurance and promoted the product without registering as a broker or commodity broker-dealer under New York law. As part of the settlement, Uphold will pay $5 million to harmed investors, remit $545,189 from Cred’s bankruptcy to customers, improve due diligence policies for third-party products, and register as a broker with the OAG.
$7.4B
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the shutdown of opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma as part of a $7.4 billion settlement with a bipartisan coalition of 54 other state attorneys general. The Sackler family, former owners of Purdue, are permanently barred from selling opioids in the U.S. and have no involvement in Knoa Pharma, the new public benefit corporation replacing Purdue. Purdue was sentenced on criminal charges related to its role in the opioid crisis on April 28, 2026, with the new entity operating under strict oversight and excess revenue funding opioid abatement efforts.
New York Attorney General Letitia James led a bipartisan coalition of 24 state attorneys general, Puerto Rico, and New York City in sending letters to nine major credit card companies and payment processors urging them to block transactions facilitating illegal vaping product sales. The coalition cites federal and state laws prohibiting unauthorized e-cigarette sales, particularly to youth, and requests collaboration to prevent payment networks from processing such transactions. No enforcement penalties or actions were imposed as part of this initiative.