Newsroom

Hello DC Neighbors,

Today my office announced a lawsuit against the Commanders, their owner (Dan Snyder), the NFL, and the NFL Commissioner (Roger Goodell) for lying to and deceiving District residents—the heart of the Commanders’ fanbase.

In 2020, after public reporting revealed a team culture and workplace where sexual misconduct, harassment, and misogyny ran rampant, the defendants lied about what they knew and then they lied about what they were going to do about it—all to protect their profits.

The NFL, the Commanders, Mr. Snyder, and Mr. Goodell all assured fans they were conducting an independent investigation, free from an interference by Mr. Snyder, to uncover the facts and make things right.

That was all a lie. Instead, the NFL turned a blind eye to Snyder’s extensive efforts to silence and intimidate witnesses, and the NFL and Commanders entered into a secret agreement that gave Snyder power to veto the release of any results. That’s not what they told the public.

With today’s lawsuit, we’re standing up for DC residents who were lied to and deceived. You can’t lie to DC residents in order to protect your profits and get away with it—no matter who you are. By suing today, we are using every enforcement tool at our disposal to hold the Commanders, Dan Snyder, the NFL, and Commissioner Goodell accountable.

Read more about our lawsuit in the Washington Post.

Thank you,

Karl Racine

Attorney General

Congratulations to DC’s New Attorney General-Elect

Congratulations to the District’s next attorney general, Brian Schwalb! Brian is a talented lawyer who will fight for DC values. I have had the privilege of serving over the last eight years as the District’s first elected, independent attorney general. During that time, my colleagues and I have built one of the nation’s most respected public law offices. We have used the law wisely, creatively, and boldly to defend DC and protect our most vulnerable residents.

I look forward to working with Brian and his team to ensure a successful transition for DC residents, and I’ll keep working as hard as ever for DC right up until the inauguration on January 2.

Join Us for a Documentary Screening and Discussion About Returning Citizens and Public Safety

My office is partnering with More Than Our Crimes and the University of the District of Columbia, to host a screening of a new documentary, Redemption, highlighting the unique challenges DC’s returning citizens face. Following the 15-minute screening I’ll be joined by Councilmembers, local experts, and returning citizens to discuss ways we can better support our neighbors reentering society after incarceration and city-wide efforts to improve our criminal justice system.

Join us on November 14, at 7pm at UDC by registering at oag.dc.gov/Redemption. Hope to see you there!

Standing Up for District Consumers Every Day

In 2015, early on in my time in office, we launched a dedicated Office of Consumer Protection to protect DC residents from deceptive and unethical business practices. Let me tell you: The team is busy. They’ve investigated more than 13,000 complaints from residents about potential legal violations, mediated countless disputes between businesses and consumers, and filed lawsuits when our neighbors are illegally scammed or deceived. In fact, since 2015, they’ve secured more than $125 million in penalties and restitution for DC consumers.

Our team is there to help DC residents. Here are just two recent examples:

• On Monday, we announced a settlement with T-Mobile and Experian over data breaches in 2012 and 2015 that impacted 60,000+ DC residents. The companies will make important data security improvements and pay more than $16 million in penalties, including $815,464 to DC.
• The White House recently announced a crackdown on “junk fees” like overdraft fees and resort fees. My office sued Marriott over its deceptive fees in 2019, and as the Washington Post reported, we can help you get a refund if you were tricked into paying fees that were never revealed.