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.

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.