Aperçu

State attorneys general (AGs) are more active than ever. They serve as influential authorities across the country, aggressively pursuing investigations, litigation, and enforcement actions impacting a broad spectrum of industries. Their areas of focus have included antitrust, data privacy, consumer protection, mortgage servicers, DEI, environmental, insurance, product liability and mass torts, securities, and more. Many state investigations may be coordinated with one another or with federal agencies, Congress, or other key stakeholders.

Mayer Brown’s bipartisan and multidisciplinary State Attorneys General Task Force is uniquely positioned to help clients anticipate, manage, and mitigate exposure to these increasingly complex and high-stakes government actions. Our team has worked at the highest levels of federal and state government in Republican and Democratic administrations, and we have the legal experience and relationships necessary to assist our clients with strategic, practical, and effective counsel.

Key Relationships and Experience

Our team’s effectiveness is rooted in wide-ranging experience and constructive relationships with current and former state AGs and their senior staff. Our lawyers have worked alongside—and, in some cases, within—state AG offices, giving us unique insight into the decision-making processes that drive their investigations and enforcement priorities. These relationships allow us to facilitate constructive dialogue, anticipate regulatory trends, and advocate effectively for our clients’ interests. Our team includes former senior officials from state AG offices, the Department of Justice, and various other federal and state enforcement agencies. Importantly, our attorneys span the political spectrum, leveraging relationships with senior leaders of both political parties at the state and federal levels.

Mayer Brown’s lawyers have guided clients through all phases of state AG matters, from informal inquiries and information requests to formal investigations, enforcement actions, civil litigation, prosecutions, and settlement negotiations. Our team has significant experience managing parallel proceedings that may involve multiple state AGs, federal agencies, and civil litigation—often simultaneously. In addition, our cross-practice team leverages a deep reservoir of subject-matter expertise across over 60 nationally ranked practices to efficiently resolve both routine and complex matters expeditiously. Our team has successfully litigated matters—and resolved investigations with—AGs in New York, California, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and Massachusetts, among many other states.

Comprehensive and Strategic Representation

Our approach is defined by early engagement, strategic negotiation, and a deep sensitivity to legal, reputational, and business risks. We understand the challenges posed by overlapping jurisdictions and regulatory priorities. Whether responding to a single state inquiry, defending against multiple state and federal investigations, or aggressively defending lawsuits brought by a coalition of state AGs, our lawyers provide representation that ensures consistency, efficiency, and the best possible outcomes for our clients in even the most challenging and high-profile matters. And when settlement is not the best option for our clients, we possess the skills and experience crucial to succeeding in high-stakes litigation.

Core Services

Mayer Brown’s experience spans virtually every major industry and type of state AG action, including:

Antitrust & Competition: Antitrust lawsuits and investigations, including allegations of market collusion, price-fixing, and merger challenges.
Consumer Protection: Investigations involving unfair or deceptive trade and lending practices and consumer protection laws.
Cybersecurity & Data Privacy: Investigations into data breaches, inquiries about data collection and usage, and related oversight into areas like children’s online safety and artificial intelligence.
Employment & Labor: Investigations relating to misclassification, wage theft, and other state employment claims, including matters involving gig workers.
Environmental & Energy: State and federal environmental and land-use permitting, investigations and litigation, including price-gouging, pollution, and permit-violation claims.
Financial Services & Securities: Multi-state AG investigations into securitization, DEI and ESG practices, bid-rigging, fraud, and auction rate securities.
Gaming: Investigations, enforcement actions, and policy development with respect to tribal and non-tribal gaming activities.
Higher Education & Public Policy: Investigations related to financial aid, student loans, and alleged collusion.
Life Sciences: False Claims Act investigations and consumer fraud actions.
Mortgage Servicers: False Claims Act actions and investigations under consumer protection laws, state tax regulations, and unfair or deceptive trade practices.
Product Liability & Mass Torts: Litigation, crisis management, and regulatory compliance and investigations.
State Ballot Measures: Support of, and opposition to, statewide ballot measures, including in connection with ballot titles, summaries, other legal analyses prepared, and litigation by and involving AG offices.

Experience

Our experience includes:

Antitrust & Competition

Represented Blue Shield of California as a third party in a major antitrust litigation brought by the California AG.
Represented Foster Farms in antitrust actions in Washington, New Mexico, and Alaska, alleging various conspiracies among poultry producers related to information exchanges, output restrictions, index manipulation, and price fixing.
Represented a multinational chemical manufacturer in connection with the Vitamins Antitrust Litigation, resulting in the procurement of settlements with the 50 state AGs.
Represented an international energy company in a state AG price-gouging investigation.
Represented a multinational corporation in antitrust lawsuits and investigations involving allegations of market collusion. After obtaining full dismissal of a federal putative class action and obtaining partial summary judgment in litigation filed by a state AG, we resolved the remaining claims on favorable terms.
Representing the owner & operator of multifamily rental housing properties in separate Washington DC AG and Kentucky AG antitrust actions, alleging a price-fixing conspiracy relating to the residential rental housing market.
Represented Cargill in a bid-rigging matter in the salt industry, which included state AGs from Ohio, New York, Illinois, and Michigan.
Represented a global telecommunications company in a state AG investigation into violation of state competition law.
Represented a major US financial institution as a third party in connection with a Colorado AG antitrust action.
Organized an amicus campaign securing support from more than 20 state AGs in groundbreaking antitrust litigation.*

*Matters handled prior to working at Mayer Brown.

Consumer Protection

Representing an international real estate company in connection with a New York AG TCPA and related state robocall action.
Represented various companies in civil enforcement proceedings and threatened litigation by the People of the State of California, including multi-agency task forces, involving auto renewal practices.
Represented a large investment services firm in a multi-state investigation into apparent fraud by a firm customer.
Represented a health supplement manufacturer in a state AG investigation.
Represented a construction company in a state AG consumer fraud investigation.
Represented multiple major property owners and advertising companies in civil enforcement actions by the People of the State of California, related to supergraphics signage in California.

Cybersecurity & Data Privacy

Represented Google in this first-of-its-kind civil action brought by the New Mexico AG, which asserted claims against Google and other defendants for alleged violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), common law privacy rights, and state consumer protection statues.
Represented a dental support organization as cyber counsel in response to a ransomware attack affecting the personal information of nearly 2.6 million individuals, including interactions with various state AGs.
Represented a leading title insurance company through a series of complex legal challenges related to a ransomware attack, guiding the client through the incident-response process with numerous third parties, including various state AGs.
Represented a telecommunications company through data breach notices across 50 state AGs, while navigating ongoing state AG investigations.
Represented a major facial recognition technology provider during an investigation by the California AG office related to alleged violations of California’s data broker law and the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Represented an online game platform in a state AG investigation into potential violations of COPPA.
Represented a title insurance company in connection with an inquiry by the California AG office regarding alleged California Consumer Privacy Act violations and an investigation by the Texas AG office related to alleged violations of Texas’s data broker law.
Represented a major technology provider in connection with an investigation by the Texas AG related to alleged violations of Texas’s data broker law.
Represented a major automotive manufacturer regarding investigations by the California Privacy Protection Agency and Texas AG office related to alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act and Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Represented a financial services client in connection with a data breach, including engaging with state agencies.
Represented a manufacturer and distributor in connection with a data breach, responding to inquiries from multiple state agencies.
Represented an apparel company in its engagement with state agencies following a consumer data breach incident.

Financial Services & Securities

Represented several global financial services clients in a multi-state AG investigation into consumer protection and antitrust issues relating to ESG.
Represented a large financial firm in a multi-state investigation into the offer and sale of insurance products.
Representing a GPB Capital Holdings, LLC private equity general partner in an alleged $1.7 billion fraud involving a number of the limited partnership funds that the general partner created and managed. Our client is facing an SEC enforcement action, as well as multiple state AG and securities commission actions and many civil lawsuits, including class actions brought by investors.
Represented a major banking institution in negotiating a settlement with the various state AGs regarding improper lending practices by their acquired entity.
Represented several senior officers and directors of AIG in securities and derivative actions brought against AIG and other defendants by the SEC and New York AG.
Represented a global corporate and investment bank in a multi-state AG investigation into alleged bid-rigging in the municipal bond market.
Represented a large investment services firm in a multi-state auction rate securities investigation.
Represented a senior executive of an international investment services firm in criminal and civil state AG investigations into IPO allocation.
Represented one of the five banks in the $25 billion global foreclosure settlement with 49 state AGs, the US Department of Justice, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mortgage Servicers

Represented multiple global financial institutions in civil enforcement actions by the People of the State of California, related to the condition of foreclosed properties in California.
Representing a mortgage servicer in a consumer protection-related action brought by the California AG's office.
Represented a global financial services company in connection with an investigation by the California AG's office involving residential loan foreclosures.
Represented a global bank in a state AG lawsuit relating to the bank’s role as securitization trustee of thousands of residential mortgage-backed securities, leading to voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit.
Represented a national mortgage loan servicer in an investigation and threatened litigation involving COVID-19 claims by the California AG's office.

Product Liability & Mass Torts

Representing Union Carbide as asbestos litigation national counsel responsible for developing and implementing its nationwide defense strategy, managing thousands of product liability cases brought by state AGs across the country, and leading trial teams in select jurisdictions.
Represented 3M Corporation in significant, high-stakes litigation brought by multiple state AGs and including more than 1,000 lawsuits filed by state and local government entities, individuals, and water suppliers.
Representing Veolia S.A. in a parens patriae suit brought by the Michigan AG related to the Flint Water Crisis, as well as in a putative class action and thousands of individual personal injury and property claims cases in both federal and state courts.
Secured support from more than 40 state AGs for federal legislation to resolve multibillion-dollar public health tort claims.*
Convened mass tort settlement negotiations with more than 10 state AGs, business, public health groups, and plaintiffs’ attorneys, resulting in draft federal legislation and national claims facility.*

*Matters handled prior to working at Mayer Brown.

Additional Representative Experience

Represented an international gaming company in a nationwide AG consumer fraud investigation focused on the disclosure of resort fees in the hotel industry.
Represented a US ground transportation company and helped them obtain a successful resolution of a state AG investigation of drivers as independent contractors.
Represented a university in a state AG investigation into alleged collusion as to the provision of financial aid.
Represented a provider of student loan products and services in multi-state AG investigations and investigations by governmental agencies and the US Congress.
Representing a multinational manufacturing company in thousands of claims pending nationwide alleging personal injury, property damage, and environmental harm associated with per and polyfluorinated alkyl (PFAS) substances, including multi-district litigation and actions by AGs from more than 20 states.
Represented an oil & gas company in investigations and litigation brought by the Illinois EPA and the Illinois AG, as well as additional investigations initiated by the US EPA.
Represented a global medical equipment supplier in matters before various state AGs.
Represented a major pharmaceutical company in the consumer fraud allegations filed by a state AG regarding the sale and marketing of the company’s surgical implant products.
Represented principal investors and alleged managers in the defense of an action brought by the Illinois AG office regarding alleged fraudulent practices in the nationwide medical testing industry.
Represented a medical device manufacturer in a US Department of Justice and multi-state AG investigation and settlement of a civil False Claims Act matter.
Secured support from the National Association of Attorneys General and individual state AGs for federal legislation to resolve health claims associated with silicone breast implants against companies in bankruptcy.*
Represented The American Trucking Associations and several trucking companies, successfully litigating against the New York AG challenging the constitutionality of a toll-diversion scheme.
Represented The American Trucking Associations in Rhode Island, securing a precedent-setting order permanently enjoining and declaring unconstitutional under the dormant Commerce Clause Rhode Island’s “RhodeWorks” tolling program, which placed a toll only on large commercial trucks using Rhode Island’s Interstate highways.
Represented representatives of the US automotive industry in action against Massachusetts AG regarding constitutionality of a ballot initiative.
Represented the US Chamber and California Chamber in a significant decision that eliminated considerable uncertainty about the use of employment arbitration in California, after which the California AG agreed to a permanent injunction against enforcing the law.
Represented the US Chamber of Commerce and the New Jersey Civil Justice Institute in a permanent injunction barring the New Jersey AG from enforcing a state statute that seeks to prohibit employment arbitration agreements.