Penalty Amount
$1,694,240
The Virginia Attorney General issued a consumer warning about predatory practices by tax debt settlement companies, referencing a past successful enforcement action against Wall & Associates, Inc. and CEO P. Mark Yates for violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. The Fauquier County Circuit Court ordered the company and CEO to pay over $1.6 million in civil penalties, with additional restitution to consumers pending determination.
Wall & Associates, Inc. must pay $1,588,350 in civil penalties to the Commonwealth of Virginia, and CEO P. Mark Yates must pay $105,890 in civil penalties, plus attorney’s fees and costs. Wall & Associates, Inc. is also required to pay restitution to qualified consumers nationwide, with the exact restitution amount still to be determined by the Court.
In-house legal teams should review all agreements with tax debt settlement service providers to ensure vendors do not include guarantees of specific settlement results, timelines, or IRS Offer in Compromise eligibility, as such provisions violate the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. Contracts should include representations and warranties requiring compliance with state consumer protection laws, indemnification clauses covering civil penalties or consumer restitution arising from vendor deceptive practices, and termination rights for misleading advertising. These updates apply to vendor and consumer-facing agreements in the financial services sector.
Entity
Wall & Associates, Inc.
Industry
Financial Services"Wall & Associates, Inc., and its principals for violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act"
"ordered Wall & Associates, Inc. to pay restitution to qualified consumers nationwide and determined it should pay civil penalties to the Commonwealth of $1,588,350"
"determined he should pay $105,890 in civil penalties to the Commonwealth"
"for violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act for years by misleading and deceiving consumers"
"misleading and deceiving consumers about specific results, timeframes, and eligibility for settlement relief, among other conduct"
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.