Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated an investigation into Drone Nerds, LLC over its partnership with CCP-affiliated Anzu Robotics, which markets drones with concealed surveillance capabilities and unauthorized data collection risks. Drone Nerds is accused of deceiving Texas consumers by misrepresenting Anzu’s ties to China and falsely claiming the drones are U.S.-based with secure privacy practices. The investigation is being conducted under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, with a Civil Investigative Demand issued to gather evidence of consumer deception and privacy violations.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements for technology and physical products with data collection capabilities to mandate full disclosure of all corporate affiliations, including ties to foreign adversaries like the CCP. Contracts must require accurate, verifiable representations of data collection practices, security measures, and data storage jurisdictions, with specific indemnification for deceptive privacy or security claims. Teams should also add clauses requiring immediate notice of ownership changes, prohibitions on unauthorized data sharing with foreign governments, and audit rights to verify compliance with privacy representations.
Entity
Drone Nerds, LLC
Industry
Technology"Drone Nerds, LLC (“Drone Nerds”)"
"Attorney General Ken Paxton"
"opened an investigation"
"Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“DTPA”)"
"unauthorized data collection, surveillance capabilities, and potential access by the Chinese government"
"falsely represents to consumers that Anzu Robotics’ Raptor drone is “headquartered and operated within the United States, giving you the peace of mind that your solution is delivered by your neighbors.”"
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Open AI Global, LLC and affiliated entities, alleging that ChatGPT was marketed as safe and reliable without disclosing risks of inaccurate or harmful outputs. The suit also alleges harms to minors and collection of their data without parental oversight; the release states no monetary penalty or specific remedy imposed.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Lululemon USA Inc. after investigating potential PFAS and consumer representations about product safety. The agreement requires the company to maintain supply-chain chemical standards, verify vendor compliance through testing or certifications, and take corrective action for three years; no monetary penalty is stated.
$3.0M
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a settlement requiring Temu to protect Texans’ sensitive personal data from exposure to the Chinese Communist Party and to strengthen product-safety practices. Temu must pay Texas $3 million, comply with data-security requirements backed by a potential $8 million annual penalty, conduct annual independent product testing, and take specified action on products found to contain harmful substances.
$773.0M
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that a multistate coalition had secured an opioid settlement with Albertsons, which would require the grocery chain to pay more than $773 million nationally once final. Texas and its political subdivisions may receive up to $57.8 million for opioid abatement; the release does not identify privacy violations.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Gerber Products Company and Nestlé USA, Inc., alleging that Gerber made deceptive safety and testing claims while its baby food contained dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals. The lawsuit asserts claims under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act; the release does not report a settlement, monetary penalty, or court order.
$1.5M
The Texas Attorney General obtained a judgment holding Rubinsky Roofing LLC liable for 27 violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, including deceptive practices involving older consumers and payment for unnecessary or unfinished repairs. The judgment requires more than $1.5 million in civil penalties, allocates at least $500,000 to consumer restitution, and permanently bars the company and its owner from the practices at issue.