Civil rights investigation by the Oregon Attorney General into an incident where federal agents shot two people in Portland, examining whether officers acted outside lawful authority and addressing concerns about a pattern of excessive force.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with security or law enforcement contractors, customer contracts with government entities (including federal subcontracts), and any agreements involving personnel authorized to use force. Specific clauses to examine include 'compliance with laws' (to ensure alignment with state use-of-force standards), 'use of force policy' (to verify adherence to de-escalation and proportional response requirements), 'incident reporting and notification' (for timely disclosure of shootings or excessive force allegations), 'liability and indemnification' (to assess coverage for civil rights violations and damages), and 'oversight and audit rights' (to enable monitoring of conduct and investigations). Changes may be needed to explicitly incorporate Oregon state law standards, mandate prompt written reporting of any use-of-force incidents involving officers, require independent investigations of excessive force claims, adjust indemnification to cover civil rights damages and attorney fees, and include provisions for regular training and certification on de-escalation and bias mitigation.
Entity
Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
Also known as: Federal Agents
Industry
Other"federal agents"
"opening a formal investigation"
"whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority"
"excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally"
Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and AAMVA to block demands for a database containing personal information of 17 million commercial drivers. The federal government threatened to withhold $10 million in funding unless the data was turned over, which the coalition argues violates privacy law.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield co-led a coalition of 10 states in a federal lawsuit against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to block a rule that invalidates state laws requiring mortgage lenders to pay interest on escrow accounts. The lawsuit argues the OCC's rule oversteps federal authority, gives national banks a competitive advantage over state-chartered banks, and takes money away from homeowners.
A federal judge ruled that Nexstar Media Group violated a court order requiring it to keep TEGNA Inc. operating as an independent company while a multistate antitrust lawsuit challenging the merger proceeds. The court found that Nexstar installed its own executives on TEGNA's board, failed to disclose the appointments, and lacked candor with the court. The court ordered Nexstar to comply immediately, file status reports, respond to discovery, and turn over board and financial documents, with a special master to oversee compliance.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, joined by a coalition of 23 other states, the District of Columbia, and two governors, sued the Trump administration to block a new policy by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) that would allow federal officials to access private records of millions of TANF recipients. The coalition argues the policy illegally shares sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers and immigration status, with other federal agencies and private organizations, violating the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause. The lawsuit seeks to declare the policy illegal and block it from taking effect.
Attorney General Rayfield and a coalition of 49 other attorneys general sent a letter to the FCC urging it to strengthen its Know Your Customer (KYC) rules to combat illegal robocalls. The coalition recommends requiring providers to understand customers' business, applying KYC standards to all providers, and collecting additional information on high-risk customers. No monetary penalty was imposed.
Attorney General Dan Rayfield and 49 other state attorneys general sent a letter to the FCC urging stronger 'Know Your Customer' rules to combat illegal robocalls. The coalition requests that phone companies verify customer identities and business practices to prevent scammers from using the network. The letter is part of Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup.