Penalty Amount
$350,000,000
Connecticut Attorney General announced a $350 million national settlement with Publicis Health for its role in the opioid epidemic. Publicis will pay the settlement, disclose internal documents, and cease accepting opioid-related client work. Connecticut will receive nearly $4.44 million from the settlement.
Publicis must pay $350 million, disclose thousands of internal documents on a public website, and stop accepting client work related to opioid-based Schedule II or Schedule III narcotics.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor and marketing services agreements with healthcare, pharmaceutical, or medical clients. Focus on clauses governing client onboarding and due diligence, ethical marketing practices, document retention and production obligations, and termination for cause. Specific changes may include adding explicit prohibitions on accepting opioid or controlled substance-related clients, requiring disclosure of any historical work with opioid manufacturers, and enhancing compliance reporting and audit rights to prevent involvement in harmful or unlawful marketing campaigns.
Entity
Publicis Health
Also known as: Publicis
Industry
AdvertisingOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2024-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-announces-settlement-with-publicis-over-role-in-opioid-epidemic
publicis complaint ct.pdf?rev=2aefec37b38c4b3f9670afda10deb8
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2024/publicis-complaint-ct.pdf?rev=2aefec37b38c4b3f9670afda10deb8df&hash=4508C5C442FF550DAE159AA88E19145E
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
$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.
$2.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a settlement with RZ Smoke, Inc. over allegations that it distributed and sold high-potency cannabis products without a state license. The stipulated judgment is $2 million, with $375,000 payable to the State and $1.6 million suspended to ensure compliance; the company is barred from specified cannabis activities in Connecticut unless licensed.
$13.7M
Connecticut joined a coalition of states and the federal government in settling allegations that Takeda paid healthcare providers speaker honoraria and provided meals to induce prescriptions of Trintellix, leading to allegedly false claims to government healthcare programs. Takeda agreed to pay $13,670,921 plus accrued interest, with portions allocated to federal and state programs.