As part of the continuing shift in the balance of antitrust enforcement between the federal and state antitrust enforcers, the DOJ Antitrust Division referred two asphalt industry merger investigations to state AGs after identifying potential competition concerns in localized markets. The first investigation involved asphalt paving products maker Colas Inc.’s acquisition of Suit-Kote Corporation, which…

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Maryland AG Anthony Brown secured a court ruling preventing tobacco companies from reducing their annual payments to Maryland under the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) to offset potential damages from a separate lawsuit filed by Baltimore City. The ruling stems from Baltimore City’s lawsuit against tobacco manufacturers, alleging environmental damage caused by discarded cigarette filters.…

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New York AG Letitia James secured a $500,000 settlement with Bloomberg L.P. over allegations that Bloomberg News failed to adequately disclose subscription terms, including automatic renewals and significant price increases. The AG’s investigation alleged that customers were not properly notified when introductory subscription rates expired and prices increased, resulting in unexpected charges after initial promotional…

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The FTC and Washington state have reached a $600,000 settlement with Riverside Payments Inc., an affiliate, and the company’s owners over allegations of misleading small businesses with potential savings and making it difficult to cancel payment processing agreements. The lawsuit alleged Riverside advertised potential savings of nearly 60% for businesses switching payment processing providers, but…

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A coalition of 36 AGs have reached a settlement with General Motors, resolving allegations that the company sold consumers’ private driver behavior data and location information to third parties, including data brokers, who then sold the data to insurance companies. The case alleged that from 2016 to 2024 GM enrolled millions of drivers in their…

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