Are you a new renter looking online for a place to live in DC? The District is a great place to live and work, but finding housing can be difficult. Recently, there has been an increase in rental scams targeting out-of-town renters, short-term renters, and students. If you are looking for a new place to live, or know someone who is, you need to be alert.
Earlier this week, I met with Vice President Kamala Harris, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and seven other state AGs at the White House to discuss state and federal efforts to address the opioid crisis—a crisis that has caused immense harm in communities across the country and that demands urgent action.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that EasyPay Finance (EasyPay), a rent-a-bank lender that had operated in the District, will pay more than $215,000 to resolve allegations that it used predatory practices to deceive hundreds of District residents into paying interest rates significantly above DC’s legally allowed maximum rate. In addition to financial terms, EasyPay must follow strict operational conditions going forward to ensure that the company no longer takes advantage of District consumers and complies with District consumer protection laws.
At the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), supporting positive youth development is a priority. Our kids are the heartbeat of our city, so it is essential that we listen to them and amplify their voices, concerns, and ideas.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that SmileDirectClub, an online orthodontics company, will be required to release more than 17,000 consumers across the United States from onerous provisions in its nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) and change its refund policy for US consumers as part of a settlement resolving a consumer protection lawsuit brought by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that online underwear retailer Adore Me, Inc. (Adore Me) will be required to provide refunds to consumers who were improperly charged recurring subscription fees, reform its business practices, and pay $2.35 million as part of a settlement with the District of Columbia and 31 states. The settlement resolves an investigation—led by DC, Texas, and Pennsylvania—into claims that Adore Me deceptively marketed its membership program, failed to disclose recurring charges, and made it difficult for consumers to cancel memberships once they were enrolled. As part of the settlement, several thousand DC residents may be eligible to receive refunds, Adore Me will be required to reform its business practices, and the District will receive a payment of more than $150,000.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) works tirelessly to ensure District residents are safe in their homes. When landlords and property managers violate tenants’ rights and ignore health and safety requirements, our team springs into action.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today joined a bipartisan coalition of 49 Attorneys General in suing Michael D. Lansky, LLC, which does business under the name Avid Telecom, along with its owner Michael Lansky, and its vice president Stacey S. Reeves, for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of illegal robocalls to millions of people in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws. Avid Telecom sent or transmitted more than 7.5 billion calls to telephone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry. Between December 2018 and January 2023 approximately 8.6 million of those calls were to numbers in the District.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced a settlement with SoLo Funds Inc. (SoLo), an online fin-tech platform that facilitates and advertises loans to District consumers, which resolves allegations that SoLo deceived consumers about the true cost of the loans on its platform and facilitated loans with over 500% APR on average—far exceeding the District's 24% usury cap. SoLo’s platform is based upon a model in which individual consumers lend money to other individual consumers. In return for the loan, the borrowers were required to pay a percentage of the loan as a ‘tip’ to the lenders. SoLo also solicited borrowers to pay a percentage of the loan to the company as a ‘donation’.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that JUUL Labs, Inc. (JUUL) will pay $15.2 million – the largest litigated settlement the DC Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has secured under the Consumer Protection Procedures Act in District history – to resolve allegations that it marketed nicotine products to District youth and misled District consumers about the product’s highly-addictive qualities.
