Weekly News Round Up Of The State’s Top Law Enforcement Officer – Texas Attorney General
Consumer Alert: IRS Impersonation and Email Scam, Court of Appeals Upholds Voter Fraud Conviction and Religious Liberties Case
Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton is the lawyer for the State of Texas and is charged by the Texas Constitution to:
- defend the laws and the Constitution of the State of Texas
- represent the State in litigation
- approve public bond issues
To fulfill these responsibilities, the Office of the Attorney General serves as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issues legal opinions when requested by the Governor, heads of state agencies and other officials and agencies as provided by Texas statutes.
The Texas AG sits as an ex-officio member of state committees and commissions, and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the State.
Many Texans look to the Office of the Attorney General for guidance with disputes and legal issues. The agency receives hundreds of letters, phone calls and visits each week about crime victims’ compensation, child support, abuse in nursing homes, possible consumer fraud and other topics. To find out more about the Texas Attorney General, visit the official website at https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/.
WEEKLY NEWS ROUND-UP OF THE STATE’S
TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER…
THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL
Bains Brothers, LLC. Agrees to Refund Consumers for Hurricane Harvey Price Gouging
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that his Consumer Protection Division finalized a settlement with the owner of several Dallas-Fort Worth area gas stations accused of price gouging last year during the state of disaster declared for Hurricane Harvey.
Under terms of the agreement, Bains Brothers, LLC will refund eligible consumers who paid $3.99 per gallon or more for unleaded regular gasoline on August 31, 2017, at two of the company’s gas stations: 3600 Huffines Boulevard in Carrollton, and 2809 NW Green Oaks Boulevard in Arlington. Claim forms are available online and will be accepted through December 31, 2018. Click here for a claim form: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2018/Press/ClaimFormUpdated91818.pdf
The attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division received complaints from consumers that the two gas stations were charging up to $6.99 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline during the Harvey state of disaster.
“Price gouging is something that no Texan should be confronted with when there’s a declared disaster such as Hurricane Harvey,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This latest settlement reimburses those who were taken advantage of by businesses that charged excessive amounts for fuel, and it serves as warning that Texas’ price gouging statute will always be vigorously enforced.”
As Hurricane Harvey was approaching the Texas coast last year, Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster activating a provision of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act that makes price gouging on necessities (e.g. gasoline) illegal. In the wake of the hurricane, the attorney general’s office received thousands of complaints about inflated prices at gasoline pumps. Many Texans emailed photos and receipts as evidence. Investigations are ongoing.
To date, the Consumer Protection Division has finalized 53 price gouging settlements concerning gasoline stations across Texas.
Texans who believe they’ve been scammed or price gouged by any business should call the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Hotline toll-free at (800) 621-0508, email consumeremergency@oag.texas.gov, or file a complaint online at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint.
View a copy of the settlement here:https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2018/Press/20181204_Bains%20Brothers%20Final%20Judgment.pdf
AG Paxton Releases Statement on the Death of President George H.W. Bush
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton released the following statement this morning as the world mourns the death of President George H.W. Bush:
“I join all Americans and Texans in mourning the passing of a true patriot and fine president, George H.W. Bush. Across six decades, President Bush served his country courageously and selflessly. His impact on the global stage, our nation and Texas history will be his single greatest legacy to future generations. And we will forever cherish the memory of the love he shared with his beloved Barbara, who preceded him in death. President Bush was an inspiration to all of us and he will be greatly missed.”
AG Paxton Begins Investigation Into Marriott Data Breach Affecting 500 Million Customers Worldwide
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that his office served an investigative subpoena – also known as a Civil Investigative Demand – on Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain. Marriott, which operates nearly 7,000 properties, revealed that its Starwood reservation system was hacked, potentially compromising the personal information of up to 500 million guests.
“The Marriott data breach has the potential of leaving hundreds of thousands of Texans vulnerable to the nightmare of identity theft,” Attorney General Paxton said. “My office is taking immediate action to seek documents and other information from Marriott to examine the nature and extent of this data breach, including how and why this massive hack occurred.”
Marriott disclosed that the unauthorized access started in 2014 and may affect those who made reservations from that time until September 10, 2018. Hackers obtained a wealth of personal information on the hotel’s guests – including potentially names, addresses, dates of birth, passport numbers, email addresses and phone numbers, as well as certain travel information such as reservation dates.
They also may have obtained encrypted credit card information for some guests. At this time, Marriott is unable to rule out the possibility that the hackers obtained the components necessary to decrypt the credit card information.
Marriott established a special website where concerned customers can get more information on the data breach. It is also operating a call help center at 877-273-9481.
Texans who believe they are victims of the Marriott data breach may file a complaint online with the attorney general’s office at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint.
For general information on how to protect your credit and personal information, visit the Fighting Identity Theft page of the attorney general’s website at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/identitytheft.
REQUEST FOR OPINION
RQ-0258-KP
Received: Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Re: Standards courts apply when balancing the rights of the State against the fundamental rights of parents to raise their children free from government intrusion
To Review: https://www2.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/51paxton/rq/2018/pdf/RQ0258KP.pdf
Requestor: The Honorable James White
Chair, Committee on Corrections
Texas House of Representatives
Post Office Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768-2910
REQUEST FOR OPINION
RQ-0257-KP
Received: Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Re: Whether individuals convicted of a felony are eligible to run for office in Texas after completing their sentence and having their voting rights restored
To Review: https://www2.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/51paxton/rq/2018/pdf/RQ0257KP.pdf
Requestor: The Honorable Marco A. Montemayor
Webb County Attorney
1110 Washington Street, Suite 301
Laredo, Texas 78040
REQUEST FOR OPINION
RQ-0256-KP
Received: Tuesday, November 26, 2018
Re: Request for opinion on prompt pay statute’s application to our-of-network claims
To Review: https://www2.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/51paxton/rq/2018/pdf/RQ0256KP.pdf
Requestor: The Honorable Joe Moody
Chair, Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
Texas House of Representatives
Post Office Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768-2910
REQUEST FOR OPINION
RQ-0255-KP
Received: Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Re: Whether a local law enforcement agency’s “no-chase” policy limits a peace officer’s duty to prevent and suppress crime and exposes the peace officer to civil liability for later harm caused by the offender the peace officer failed to chase
To Review: https://www2.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/51paxton/rq/2018/pdf/RQ0255KP.pdf
Requestor: The Honorable Joe Moody
Chair, Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
Texas House of Representatives
Post Office Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768-2910
