Penalty Amount
$19,200,000
Ford Motor Company agreed to a $19.2 million multistate settlement for falsely advertising the fuel economy of 2013–2014 C-Max hybrids and the payload capacity of 2011–2014 Super Duty pickup trucks. The settlement requires Ford to cease deceptive advertising practices and pay penalties to participating states.
Ford must pay $19.2 million in settlement funds and is enjoined from making false or misleading advertising claims about vehicle fuel economy and payload capacity.
In-house legal teams should review customer sales contracts, dealer agreements, and marketing/licensing agreements for clauses related to product specifications, advertising representations, and compliance with consumer protection laws. Specifically, examine representations and warranties regarding fuel economy and payload capacity, advertising and marketing compliance provisions, indemnification for false claims, and restitution mechanisms. Changes may include revising product specifications to align with advertised claims, implementing pre-approval processes for marketing materials, adding explicit accuracy guarantees, incorporating penalties for misrepresentations, and ensuring alignment with multistate settlement requirements, including potential corrective advertising obligations.
Entity
Ford Motor Company
Also known as: Ford
Industry
Automotive$376K
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) settled with Ford Motor Company requiring the company to pay a $375,703 fine and change its practices. Ford violated the CCPA by requiring consumers to complete an email verification step before they could opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information collected through digital properties and connected vehicle services. In addition to the fine, Ford must provide easy methods to submit opt-out requests with minimal steps, audit its tracking technologies, and ensure compliance with opt-out preference signals including Global Privacy Control.
$376K
The California Privacy Protection Agency settled with Ford Motor Company for $375,703 after finding that Ford violated the CCPA by requiring email verification for opt-out requests, creating unnecessary friction. Ford must implement easier opt-out methods, conduct a website audit, and comply with global privacy controls.
$625K
Connecticut reached a $625,000 settlement with Frontier Communications Parent Inc. over an April 2024 breach in which compromised employee and vendor credentials were used to access internal systems and exfiltrate unencrypted personal information of 58,841 Connecticut residents. The settlement requires Frontier to strengthen its security program, implement specific safeguards and training, and obtain an independent third-party assessment.
$2.6M
Connecticut and New York found that Boston Children’s Health Physicians and its security vendor, XTIUM, failed to use reasonable safeguards, resulting in hackers accessing sensitive personal, medical, and employee information. The companies agreed to pay penalties totaling $2.64 million and implement enhanced cybersecurity measures.
Connecticut joined a coalition of state attorneys general filing a notice in Character Technologies, Inc.’s bankruptcy proceedings, raising concerns about the company’s safety and privacy practices and the sensitive information it holds. The states seek protections for children and consumers if the company’s business or assets are sold or transferred; the filing does not impose a fine or other remedy.
Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman petitioned PURA to review how Connecticut public utilities use artificial intelligence, citing potential data privacy and cybersecurity risks, algorithmic errors, and misleading outputs. The petition asks PURA to examine utility AI systems, safeguards, vendors, and data security practices; it does not report a finding of violation or an imposed penalty.