Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today filed a lawsuit against Curbio, Inc. (Curbio), which markets itself as a pre-sale home renovation company that allows homeowners to defer payment until their homes are sold. The lawsuit alleges Curbio engages in a scheme of deception, intimidation, and fraud that traps District residents—targeting the elderly and financially disadvantaged—into unconscionable contracts, while performing overpriced, substandard work that often takes months—or years—longer than promised.

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) alleging that the company knowingly designed Instagram and its other social media platforms with features that lure in and addict children and cause harm to their mental, emotional, and physical health. At the same time, Meta has falsely assured the public that these features are safe for young users, despite its own internal research showing they’re not.

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that, along with 49 other Attorneys General, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) reached a settlement with software company Blackbaud, which provides software to nonprofits (primarily charities and schools), for its deficient data security practices and response to a 2020 ransomware event that exposed the personal information of millions of consumers across the United States, including thousands of District residents. Under the settlement, Blackbaud has agreed to overhaul its data security and breach notification practices and pay $355,210 to the District. 

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that, as a result of the effective and thorough advocacy of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the District of Columbia Board of Dentistry has revoked the license of dentist Mark McClure and barred him from re-applying for licensure to practice dentistry in the District for at least five years. McClure committed repeated and egregious violations, including engaging in sexual contact with a patient and teaming up with another doctor to threaten and bully her out of reporting the matter. He also prescribed highly addictive medication to a patient and then abruptly cut her off, leading to medical complications - including a seizure - that required in-patient treatment for 45 days. Additionally, McClure treated other patients using pseudoscientific medical procedures outside the practice of dentistry, and then systematically hid and manipulated records to cover up his misbehavior.

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced a multistate settlement with Tempoe, LLC, a third-party financing company, that resolves an investigation into Tempoe’s advertising and leasing practices nationwide. The multistate investigation, which included 41 states and the District of Columbia, revealed that Tempoe tricked consumers into believing they were signing up to buy products like appliances or furniture on an installment plan, when in reality they were entering into expensive lease agreements. These agreements lacked required disclosures and often led consumers to lease goods or services for two to three times their purchase price. As part of the settlement, Tempoe is cancelling more than $33 million in outstanding lease agreements and is permanently banned from engaging in future leasing activities. Consumers also will be able to keep the products that Tempoe deceived them into leasing.

Homeowners are frequent targets of scams. If you own a home in DC, be aware of the warning signs and learn how to protect yourself and your family. Homeowner scams can be extremely convincing. Scammers looking to steal your money or personal information will often lie to you about your mortgage, taxes, or home warranty, and may use information that is related to your actual home, such as the name of your mortgage servicer, your account information, or even photos of your property.

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today issued a Supplemental Business Advisory on restaurants’ legal obligation to adequately disclose all fees – including service fees – to customers. Given the recent increase in consumer confusion over restaurants’ fees, the advisory builds on the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) previous consumer alerts by including examples of compliant and non-compliant service fee disclosures, as well as illustrative menu disclosures. As with previous guidance, the Advisory is designed to help restaurants comply with the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA) and help consumers understand their rights.