AG Chronicles: April 2026

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Minnesota Attorney General’s Office: Consumer Protection and Data Privacy in Minnesota

We hosted the latest webinar in our State Attorneys General series with special guests:

• James Canaday, Deputy Attorney General, Co-Lead Consumer Protection Section
• Jessica Whitney, Deputy Attorney General, Co-Lead Consumer Protection Section
• Sarah Doktori, Assistant Attorney General
• Noah Lewellen, Assistant Attorney General

They were joined by Kelley Drye State Attorneys General Practice Chair Paul Singer, Special Counsel Abby Stempson, Special Counsel Beth Chun, and Senior Associate Andrea deLorimier. The guest speakers addressed consumer protection in Minnesota, including an overview of the state’s consumer protection laws. They also discussed Minnesota’s data privacy framework, with a focus on the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act, including initial impressions and takeaways from the first six months of enforcement.

To watch the Zoom recording, click here.

To view the slide deck, click here.

IN THE NEWS AND LATEST UPDATES

“Surveillance Pricing”: Key Concepts, the Current Legal and Legislative Landscape, and Mounting Scrutiny

While proposed legislation across the country offers varying definitions of surveillance pricing (see below), it is generally thought of as the practice of using consumer data, algorithms, and artificial intelligence to set individualized prices for goods or services based on an assessment of a specific consumer’s behavior and characteristics. This can include data such as browsing behavior, purchasing history, location, device type, and inferred willingness to pay. In theory, some retailers may deploy surveillance pricing to tailor prices to individual consumers based on predications of what each consumer is likely to accept. It is also commonly referred to as personalized pricing, individualized pricing, behavioral pricing, and data-driven pricing. To fully understand surveillance pricing, it is useful to distinguish it from other pricing practices with which it is often confused.

Connecticut AG Tong Announces ​“Abnormal Market Disruption” for Gasoline

At the end of March, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, along with the state’s Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, issued a press release regarding an ​“abnormal market disruption” for gas prices, triggering state price gouging protections. Tong’s release cited the ​“international crisis” in Iran for the disruption and stated, “[o]vercharging consumers is unacceptable at any time, but during this abnormal market disruption it is illegal.”

States Break from DOJ, Pushing for Broader Relief in Live Nation-Ticketmaster Litigation

The Department of Justice announced a tentative settlement in its long-running antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation. The deal—revealed one week into trial—addresses the company’s allegedly monopolistic conduct and aims to open the live-events ticketing ecosystem to greater competition. But with more than two dozen co-plaintiff states announcing they will not join the deal, the litigation seems far from over. 

NEWS FROM THE STATES

Alaska

Attorney General Cox Secures Landmark Consumer Protection Resolution with Swickard Car Dealerships—$800,000 now, $200,000 More if Misconduct Continues

Florida

Attorney General James Uthmeier Launches Investigation into Discord over Child Safety Concerns

Montana

Attorney General Knudsen launches investigation into major auto companies

New Jersey

AG Davenport Sues OneMain Financial for Packing Loans With Add-Ons to Extract Hundreds of Millions in Junk Fees From Consumers

New Mexico

Attorney General Raúl Torrez Files Lawsuit to Stop Illegal Flavored E-Cigarettes Targeting New Mexico Youth

New York

Attorney General James Sues Home Solar Power Company and Lenders for Cheating New Yorkers Out of Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

Consumer Alert: Attorney General James Notifies New Yorkers About New State Law Requiring Stores to Accept Cash Payments

Tennessee

Attorney General Skrmetti and Coalition of States Win Trial Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster

Texas

Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Launch­es Major Ini­tia­tive to Com­bat Wide­spread Fraud by Com­pa­nies Sell­ing Solar Pan­el Systems

Virginia

Attorney General Jay Jones Takes Steps to Keep Virginia’s Children Safe from Predatory Social Media Companies

Washington

AG Brown secures multi-million-dollar settlement with FPI Management and property owners over deceptive practices targeting low-income seniors

Renton Collections to provide Washingtonians $1.5 million in medical debt relief to settle AGO suit

UPCOMING EVENTS

Members of our team will be attending this upcoming conference, in addition to RAGA and DAGA events:

• NAAG Spring Consumer Protection Conference – May 19-21 in Kansas City, MO
• Attorney General Alliance Annual Meeting – June 15-18 in Sea Island, GA
• NAAG Presidential Summit – June 29-July 1 in Greenwich, CT

For more information about the State Attorneys General Practice group, click here.