State AG News: Children's Privacy, Consumer Fraud, Environmental Action (October 9-22, 2025)

Each week, Crowell & Moring's State Attorneys General team highlights significant actions that State AGs have taken. See our State Attorneys General page for more insights. Below are the updates from October 9-22, 2025:

Multistate

• A coalition of 17 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in San Francisco AIDS Foundation, et al. v. Trump, et al., opposing President Trump's attempts to block federal diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs through executive orders. The brief urges the Ninth Circuit to uphold a preliminary injunction blocking the orders and argues that they violate constitutional protections for expression and non-discrimination.
• A bipartisan coalition of 34 states and the District of Columbia filed an amicus brief in NetChoice, LLC v. Jonathan Skrmetti, defending a Tennessee law aimed at protecting children from social-media-related harms. The brief argues that social-media companies exploit youth vulnerabilities for profit and urges courts to recognize states' authority to safeguard minors online.

• A coalition of 22 attorneys general filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims against the Environmental Protection Agency to recover more than $7 billion for money owed to states under the Solar for All program. The program was established under the Inflation Reduction Act to assist low-income households installing rooftop solar to save on energy bills. In July 2024 the EPA awarded these funds to states, but cancelled the program abruptly in August 2025, citing a lack of EPA statutory basis and dedicated funding for the program. The suit alleged that the EPA violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the Constitution's Separation of Powers, and the agreements' terms by cancelling the grants without legal justification. The suit seeks to restore the program funds to affected states.
• A coalition of 20 attorneys general filed an amicus brief supporting New Jersey in First Choice Women's Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin, arguing that state courts—not federal courts—should handle disputes regarding state subpoenas, even when recipients raise First Amendment concerns. The attorneys general urge the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold states' longstanding authority to issue investigative subpoenas as part of state investigations into possible legal violations, including consumer protection laws. The attorneys general contend that permitting early federal intervention could undermine state law enforcement efforts in areas such as antitrust, environmental, and consumer protection. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument on December 2, 2025.

California

• California Attorney General Bonta announced a settlement with four major plastic bag producers—Revolution Sustainable Solutions, Metro Poly Corp., PreZero US Packaging, and Advance Polybag, Inc.—following a statewide investigation into unlawful recyclability claims and sales of non-recyclable plastic bags in violation of Senate Bill 270, the Environmental Marketing Claims Act, False Advertising Law, and Unfair Competition Law. The settlement resolves the allegation that billions of plastic bags sold in California were falsely marketed as recyclable. The four major plastic bag producers agreed to collectively pay $1,753,000 in civil penalties and attorneys' fees and halt all plastic bag sales in California. Attorney General Bonta also filed a lawsuit against Novolex Holdings LLC, Inteplast Group Corp., and Mettler Packaging LLC, seeking monetary penalties, disgorgement, and injunctive relief for similar violations. The lawsuit claims these companies misrepresented the recyclability of their products and failed to substantiate their claims, contributing to significant plastic pollution and harm to California's environment.

Florida

• Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Parental Rights filed a civil enforcement action against Roku, Inc. and its Florida subsidiary for alleged violations of the Florida Digital Bill of Rights and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The complaint alleges that the company collected, sold, and re-identified children's sensitive data without authorization. The state seeks civil penalties, injunctive relief, and enhanced parental-control protections to uphold Florida parents' and children's privacy rights.

Minnesota

• Attorney General Keith Ellison announced lawsuits against two contractors accused of defrauding homeowners of more than $1.6 million in unfinished remodeling projects and operating without a license. The complaints allege violations of the state's consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices laws. Attorney General Ellison seeks restitution for affected homeowners and injunctive relief to prevent future misconduct in Minnesota's home-improvement market.

New Mexico

• Attorney General Raúl Torrez issued a statement applauding California's recently passed online-safety protections for children—including age verification, suicide prevention protocols, and stronger penalties for deepfakes—and urged New Mexico legislators to adopt similar reforms. He praised the law as a model for safeguarding youth in the digital age. The statement reaffirms his office's commitment to holding tech companies accountable for protecting children's online safety.

New York

• New York Attorney Letitia General James announced a settlement with public accounting firm Wojeski & Company, which requires it to pay $60,000 in penalties and strengthen its data security measures following two cybersecurity incidents that exposed the personal information of more than 4,700 New Yorkers. The settlement resolves allegations that Wojeski waited over a year to notify affected individuals of these cybersecurity incidents, which violated state law on timely breach notification. As part of the settlement, Wojeski must adopt stricter cybersecurity standards, including deploying a comprehensive information security program, encrypting personal data, improving account management, conducting regular vulnerability assessments, implementing incident response and timely consumer notice protocols, and requiring employee cybersecurity training.

Vermont

• Attorney General Charity Clark announced a settlement with Angi Inc. (formerly Angi's List) over allegations that its "Angi Certified Pro" marketing misled consumers by implying a contractor credentialing process that did not exist. Under the agreement, Angi must stop using misleading terms and pay $100,000 in penalties.

Washington

• Attorney General Nick Brown announced that a King County Superior Court judge ordered two individuals and their companies to pay more than $7 million for allegedly operating a "probates-for-profit" scheme that diverted estate funds from rightful heirs. The court found the defendants violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act and engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. The judgment includes restitution, penalties, legal costs, and a permanent injunction that bars them from acting as probate administrators.