State Attorneys General – Regulation, Investigation, Enforcement, and Litigation

Goodwin’s State Attorneys General practice provides companies, CEOs, directors, corporate legal officers, and individuals with the regulatory insight, investigatory acumen, and litigation experience necessary to navigate and defend against inquiries and lawsuits initiated by state AGs and other agencies. Our practice spans across industries, including financial services, life science, technology, consumer products and others.

Our team includes more than a dozen former prosecutors with intimate knowledge of how matters progress behind the scenes and attorneys with years of experience working with aggressive state AGs. We can seamlessly guide you through the cadence of matters involving state AGs, particularly the complexities of multistate investigations and lawsuits.

We are strategically located in states where AGs are the most active, including New York, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. Yet we represent clients in matters adverse to AGs across much broader geographies—including in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

Our insight into state AG offices, industry expertise, and energized drive to solve complex and dynamic problems in an ever-changing political environment sets us apart from others. We can seamlessly navigate the shift from federal to state investigation and enforcement activity effectively and efficiently. This experience and depth of knowledge is particularly necessary in the current political climate where state AGs are expected to ramp up enforcement efforts to fill the gap if federal enforcement efforts change priorities and focuses.

Some of our representative experience includes:

• Representation of nationally prominent fintech company in coordinated multistate investigations by three state AGs, and a national multistate investigation led by the New York Department of Financial Services (NY DFS)
• Representation of large mortgage loan servicer and lender in coordinated investigation by 41 state attorneys general led by the Illinois AG and an investigation by NY DFS into compliance with cybersecurity regulations
• Defense of large mortgage loan servicer in coordinated effort between multiple state AGs and banking divisions in Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut, and others to cease servicer’s operations, including lawsuits brought by the Massachusetts and Florida AGs
• Representation of large mortgage lender in multistate investigation brought by 12 state AGs concerning marketing practices 
• Representation of multiple employees of a large pharmaceutical manufacturer in a False Claims Act investigation and related litigation brought by multiple state AGs and the DOJ 
• Representation of non-profit and several employees and Board members in criminal investigations by the New York AG and DOJ concerning allegations of bid-rigging and corruption
• Representation of former CEO of healthcare organization in False Claims Act litigation by the Massachusetts AG and a former employee whistleblower on behalf of DOJ
• Representation of multiple employees of a biopharmaceutical company in a False Claims Act and anti-kickback investigation by the New York AG and DOJ
• Representation of fintech company in investigation brought by the Massachusetts AG
• Defense of fintech company in lawsuit brought by the Pennsylvania AG
• Representation of mortgage loan servicer in Massachusetts AG’s investigation concerning lender-placed insurance
• Representation of multiple mortgage lenders and servicers in fair lending investigations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Illinois
• Representation of auto lender in investigation by California AG concerning GAP insurance 
• Representation of mortgage loan servicer in investigation by California AG concerning loan modification practices
• Representation of national bank in multistate inquiry lead by New Mexico and Hawaii AGs concerning debt cancellation regarding credit card products
• Defense of lawsuit filed against mortgage lender by Delaware AG concerning mortgage recording fees
• Representation of mortgage lender in investigation by Massachusetts AG into foreclosure practices
• Defense of mortgage lender in fair lending lawsuit brought by Illinois AG
• Defense of mortgage lender in lawsuit brought by California AG concerning subprime loans, pay option ARMs, and loan modification practices
• Defense of mortgage lender in lawsuit brought by Massachusetts AG asserting predatory and discriminatory lending practices
• Defense of mortgage lender in lawsuit filed by Minnesota AG regarding private mortgage insurance
• Representation of large pharmaceutical company in opioid litigation against Oklahoma AG 
• Representation of medical company in False Claims Act investigation brought by Massachusetts AG 
• Representation of a global online auction platform in connection with an inquiry from the New Jersey AG
• Defense of large bank in MERS litigation against the New York AG
• Defense of advertising company against the New York AG regarding false advertising and consumer protection claims
• Representation of CEO of healthcare services company in fraud and obstruction investigation conducted by the Pennsylvania AG and DOJ, including successful defense at trial with acquittal of all charges
• Representation of investment bank in investigation by the New York AG concerning underwriting of an ATM offering 
• Representation of an investment bank in investigation by the New York AG of cryptocurrency clients of the bank
• Representation of manufacturing company in price gouging investigation by Kentucky AG
• Representation of senior treasury official at investment bank in New York AG investigation concerning LIBOR submissions

Goodwin also regularly assists companies and individuals with responding to subpoenas and civil investigative demands issued by other state agencies including banking departments, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, the California Civil Rights Division (CRD), the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the Massachusetts Division of Banks, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (DFPR), Georgia’s Department of Banking and Finance, the New York Department of Financial Services (NY DFS) and many others.