Posted inHealth

Jepsen sues Purdue, saying it reaped profits by boosting opioid addiction

Connecticut became the latest state on Thursday to sue Stamford-based Purdue Pharma, saying the company purposefully downplayed the risks of addiction of OxyContin and other opioid painkillers. Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said he sued in Superior Court because Purdue was not “serious about addressing the states’ very real allegations of misconduct and coming to a meaningful settlement.”

Posted inEnergy & Environment

Connecticut on front line of key fights with Pruitt’s EPA

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rejected Connecticut’s petition to force a power plant in York County, Pa. to cut down on smog pollutants that the state claims heavily contribute to its unhealthy air. But the state hopes to have other wins, and is at the forefront of the resistance to the agency’s proposed rollback of protections on air and water.

Posted inJustice

New AG opinion a blow to tribes’ East Windsor casino

Attorney General George Jepsen strongly warned the legislature Tuesday against allowing the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to jointly develop a casino in East Windsor without the approval of the U.S. Interior Department, a condition of the 2017 law permitting the project to compete with MGM Springfield. The opinion is likely to be the final blow in this legislative session to any hopes by the tribes to circumvent the requirement for Interior Department approval.

Posted inHealth

CT opioid lawsuits advancing in face of settlement effort

WASHINGTON — Nearly two dozen Connecticut cities and towns are scheduled to soon confront Purdue Phama and other opioid makers in court over what they say are the pharmaceuticals’ deceptive practices. Meanwhile, there is an effort by a federal judge in Ohio to negotiate a massive settlement for the hundreds of federal lawsuits across the nation targeting the opioid makers for their marketing practices.

Posted inJustice

Jepsen turns up the heat on Facebook

Upon revelations that Cambridge Analytica had harvested extensive psychographic information from about 50 million Facebook users, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen demanded that Facebook Chairman Mark Zuckerberg answer the questions many Americans were asking: “How and why was their personal data exploited?” He spoke with the Connecticut Mirror about why he launched a multi-state inquiry.

Posted inPolitics

Malloy, CT lawmakers blast FCC net neutrality rollback

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission’s partisan vote on Thursday to scrap “net neutrality” regulations and stop regulating internet delivery systems like utilities prompted partisan reaction. Most Democrats, including members of the state’s congressional delegation and Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, condemned the move. Republicans supported it.

Posted inPolitics

CT residents weigh in on net neutrality, but bots may be too

WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of Connecticut residents have weighed in on a proposal to reverse Obama-administration “net neutrality rules” that prevent internet providers from blocking a rival’s content or creating “fast lanes” for companies willing to pay extra to deliver their content more quickly. But it’s difficult to tell how many of those comments are authentic and how many are phony.

Posted inJustice

Connecticut alleges massive, routine price-fixing by pharma

Connecticut’s attorney general alleged a far-reaching price-fixing conspiracy by global and U.S. makers of generic drugs Tuesday in a complaint that greatly expands the scope of the lawsuit initiated by his office last year and eventually joined by most other states. “The allegations of our complaint are shocking, and the depth and breadth of the conspiracies alleged are mind-blowing,” Attorney General George Jepsen said.