WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that Monsanto will pay $52 million to resolve a lawsuit over the company’s production, promotion, and sale of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that damaged the District’s natural resources and put the health of residents at risk.

Statement of Emily Gunston, Deputy Attorney General for Legislative Affairs and Policy, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia

Before the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced a $550 million multistate settlement with Santander Consumer USA, Inc. (Santander) for making unfair and high-risk auto loans to consumers nationwide. The 34-state settlement resolves allegations that Santander violated consumer protection laws by exposing over 1,400 subprime District car buyers to unnecessarily high levels of risk and knowingly placing these consumers into auto loans with a high probability of default.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that Wells Fargo Bank N.A. will pay $575 million in a 50-state settlement for, among other unfair and deceptive trade practices, opening millions of unauthorized accounts and enrolling customers into online banking services without their knowledge or consent. As part of this settlement, Wells Fargo will pay the District a total of $1,112,853.08.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today filed suit against a District event venue and its owner that refused to provide refunds or reschedule weddings and other events that were cancelled while the space was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine and 20 other attorneys general urged the federal government to take critical and needed actions to help borrowers by addressing failures to implement mortgage restructuring programs to ensure those most financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic can afford their mortgages and remain in their homes.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today filed suit against SmileDirectClub, an online orthodontics company, for requiring harmed and dissatisfied consumers to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to receive promised refunds. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced a new lawsuit against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Logistics, Inc. (Amazon) for stealing tips from delivery drivers through a deceptive, illegal scheme that tricked consumers into thinking they were increasing drivers’ compensation when Amazon was actually diverting tips to reduce its own labor costs and increase profits.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Attorney General Karl A. Racine today filed suit against the parent company of Washington Sports Club (WSC), Town Sports International, LLC (TSI), for failing to abide by promises made to gym members while its facilities were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.