I am pleased to launch a Public Service Announcement warning parents to talk to their children about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. While we are aware of the dangers of illegal drugs, we often overlook the fact that prescription drugs contribute to 11,000 deaths nationwide annually; and more than 500 annual deaths in Georgia [...]
Read MoreMerck Sharp & Dohme Corporation (Merck) has settled the Vioxx lawsuit with the state of Georgia, 42 other states and the federal government. Merck will be paying $15 million to settle civil and criminal allegations by Georgia Medicaid that Merck made false and misleading representations about its drug Vioxx. Specifically, the allegations claim that Merck marketed [...]
Read MoreMy office has joined with 53 other attorneys general in asking Congress to oppose legislation targeting consumers’ telephone privacy. The “Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011” (H.R. 3035) would amend the Communications Act of 1934 and allow for robo-calling to all cell phones and force consumers to pay for the calls. For example, debt [...]
Read MoreEarlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it has agreed to review the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit striking down portions of the State of Arizona’s immigration law. My office, along with 10 other Attorneys General, asked that the U.S. Supreme Court review the fundamental question of preemption which [...]
Read MoreBy: The Associated Press/ATLANTA – Federal authorities say they arrested more than 40 suspects in an undercover sting aimed at stopping the sale and distribution of contraband cigarettes to evade paying taxes on them. Raids were carried out across the state Wednesday, including one at the Alto Grocery in Habersham County, shutting down the store. [...]
Read MoreBy Jeffry Scott , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution When former Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens walked in the door in January as Georgia’s new attorney general, he was like a homeowner moving into an old house that had been sealed up. In his first month, Olens’ office issued more press releases than predecessor Thurbert Baker’s office issued in all [...]
Read MoreOlens questions city’s delayed response to request in Expedia case By JIM MUSTIAN - jmustian@ledger-enquirer.com Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens on Wednesday questioned the reluctance by the city of Columbus to release under the Open Records Act a contract with a local law firm suing the online travel company Expedia over lodging taxes. “From my perspective, the [...]
Read MoreOn Friday, along with the Governor’s office, we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking federal approval, or “preclearance”, of the newly drawn state legislative and congressional plans. Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, Georgia must receive approval from the federal government before any changes in [...]
Read MoreLate last week we filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals in an effort to stop a recent regulation that if implemented, will likely have severe economic repercussions on Georgia citizens and businesses. Georgia is challenging the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), finalized by [...]
Read MorePush to toughen open meeting laws welcome, but state lawmakers should follow same rules Gainesville Times Editorial Board September 25, 2011 Some may roll their eyes at the discussion of open government and open records laws, believing them to be the concerns of only the media and advocacy groups. But a transparent government is an [...]
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