This press release announces Virginia's receipt of nearly $110 million from major tobacco companies under the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, a settlement resolving lawsuits against tobacco companies for deceptive marketing and consumer protection violations. The funds will support public health programs including the Virginia Healthcare Fund and Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. This document does not describe a privacy-related enforcement action.
Under the Master Settlement Agreement, Virginia and other participating states receive annual payments from tobacco companies to offset smoking-related healthcare costs. The agreement imposes restrictions on youth tobacco marketing, including bans on tobacco brand-name merchandise and tobacco-sponsored entertainment and sporting events. Disbursed funds are directed to public health programs such as the Virginia Healthcare Fund and Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.
For tobacco industry entities, in-house legal teams should review vendor, advertising, and distribution agreements for compliance with Master Settlement Agreement terms, including prohibitions on youth marketing, tobacco-branded merchandise, and sponsored events. Agreements should include clauses requiring adherence to state and federal tobacco laws, reporting obligations for underage sales, and terms governing settlement payment and enforcement compliance. This enforcement action has no relevance to privacy-related contracts or data protection clauses.
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Major Tobacco Companies
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Other"Virginia Receives Nearly $110 Million For its Diligent Enforcement of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement"
"major tobacco companies"
"The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement became active in 1998."
"Office of the Attorney General of Virginia"
"resolved Virginia's lawsuit against the major tobacco companies"
"The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement became active in 1998."
A coalition of 21 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, DHS, and AAMVA to prevent the federal government from obtaining a database of personal information of 17 million commercial driver's license holders. The lawsuits allege the federal government violated federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act by demanding the data without notice or guardrails, and threatening to withhold $10 million in federal funding if AAMVA refused.
Attorney General Jay Jones announced the creation of the Regulated Products Enforcement Unit to centralize civil enforcement for liquid nicotine products, THC and hemp-derived products, kratom, and related intoxicants. The unit will oversee compliance, directory administration, and public education. It will coordinate with Virginia ABC and other agencies to take legal action against violators.
Attorney General Jay Jones joined a coalition of 26 states to sue the Trump administration over unlawful conditions attached to counterterrorism and emergency funding. The conditions would require states to share voter data with DHS and assist in immigration enforcement, which the coalition argues violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause.
$18.0M
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones joined a coalition of 42 state attorneys general in a multistate settlement with 23andMe over a 2023 data breach that exposed the genetic data of approximately 6.9 million customers. The settlement requires 23andMe to pay $18 million to the states and $46.75 million to affected consumers, resolving allegations of inadequate security practices and delayed breach notification.
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones joined a bipartisan coalition of 13 attorneys general alleging that Nexstar and Tegna are violating a court's hold-separate order by allowing Nexstar personnel to remain on Tegna's Board of Directors during the merger litigation. The coalition seeks clarification of the order to ensure the companies operate independently while the antitrust case proceeds.
$663K
Attorney General Jay Jones joined 42 attorneys general in a multistate settlement with 23andMe's bankruptcy trustee over a 2023 data breach that compromised genetic data of nearly 7 million customers. The settlement includes $150 million in allowed claims, with immediate recovery of $18 million from bankruptcy funds, of which Virginia receives $662,649. The settlement also requires enhanced data security measures and consumer protections for the new entity, 23andMe Research Institute.