Penalty Amount
$400,000
Connecticut Attorney General and agencies settled with Town Square Energy for deceptive marketing, including misrepresenting rates and enrolling customers without consent. Town Square must pay $400,000 to Operation Fuel and cease in-person marketing for 15 months.
Town Square Energy must pay $400,000 to Operation Fuel and cease all in-person marketing, including door-to-door and tabletop sales, for 15 months.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with third-party energy suppliers, customer enrollment contracts, and marketing services agreements. Key clauses to examine include: (1) consent mechanisms ensuring explicit, documented customer authorization before enrollment; (2) rate representation warranties prohibiting misrepresentation of standard service rates; (3) marketing channel limitations banning in-person/door-to-door solicitation; (4) language access requirements for non-English speakers; and (5) compliance with 'no trespassing' policies. Potential changes may involve adding opt-in consent verbiage, clear rate comparison disclosures, explicit prohibitions on door-to-door/tabletop sales, multilingual notice obligations, and audit rights to monitor marketing practices.
Entity
Town Square Energy
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2021-press-releases/state-announces-settlement-with-town-square-marketing-over-improper-marketing
10 03 11re03 fully executed avc 072821.pdf?rev=d21b066144074
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2021/10-03-11re03_fully-executed-avc_072821.pdf?rev=d21b0661440749e6a1cb87a73a3522f1&hash=29BAC08C844F20296E9F3741E89BE18F
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.