On August 7, the U.S. Department of Treasury hosted a virtual briefing to discuss the steps that the Biden-Harris administration is taking to address perceived unfair and deceptive practices in the consumer solar energy industry. Deputy Secretary of Treasury Wally Adeyemo, along with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra, announced a new interagency consumer solar industry initiative directed at both sales and financing of residential systems. Each made statements about the unique effort to root out anti-competitive and sometimes-fraudulent activity by a handful of “bad actors” who are taking advantage of the burgeoning industry. The presenters also noted that they will be coordinating with state attorneys general (AG) and state financial regulators.
Daniel Waltz
Daniel is a member of the firm’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group and State Attorneys General team. He counsels clients in connection with navigating complex government investigations, regulatory compliance, and transactions, involving state and federal government contracting obligations. Drawing on his broad experience as a former assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois, Daniel is a problem solver both inside and outside the courtroom.
Federal Contractors on Notice After DOJ Announces First Civil Cyber Fraud Initiative Settlement
On February 28, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed to a $930,000 settlement with Comprehensive Health Services (CHS) to resolve False Claims Act allegations. The resolution represents the department’s first settlement under the False Claims Act since instituting its Civil Cyber Fraud Initiative in October 2021.[1] This is a watershed moment in the…
Utah Becomes Fourth State to Adopt Privacy Legislation
On March 24, Governor Spencer J. Cox signed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA), making Utah the fourth state in the country to adopt a comprehensive privacy law. The UCPA is set to take effect on December 31, 2023, and this law’s substantive requirements closely mirror the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA). The UCPA…
Continued Wait Time for CPRA Regulations
California Privacy Protection Agency Director Ashkan Soltani recently announced that long-awaited regulations related to the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) would be delayed. The agency initially scheduled a July 1 deadline to promulgate regulations and allow companies time to comply with the CPRA, which is set to be enforced beginning July 1, 2023. However, Director…
Utah Consumer Privacy Act Awaiting Signature
On February 25, the Utah Senate passed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (the UCPA), which closely resembles both the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (the VCDPA) and the Colorado Privacy Act (the CPA). The House unanimously passed the bill on March 2. The bill now goes to Governor Spencer Cox, who has 20 days to…
JPML Articulates Limitations for Consolidation in Geico Data Breach Litigation
Despite overlap of alleged putative nationwide class definitions, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) denied Geico’s attempt to consolidate five class-action lawsuits arising from a data breach notification published in April 2021 (impacting a reported 132,000 individuals). The JPML’s decision might set a precedential limit for transfer and consolidation of smaller data breach class-action…
Webinar: Privacy: The Current Status of the CCPA and Compliance Challenges
The novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has resulted in the California legislature rolling out several emergency initiatives to address the impact of the outbreak. Initiatives range from introducing measures to address key employment issues to financial packages that provide funding to increase hospital capacity and protect those most vulnerable to the disease. Given the immediate impact these…
Troutman Sanders Attorneys Publish Law360 Article, “Employers’ Top 7 Coronavirus Data Collection Questions”
With all 50 states in the process of lifting stay-at-home orders, many businesses are eager to reopen but remain committed to protecting their most important assets — their employees. As part of establishing reopening procedures, some businesses have considered collecting health-related information from employees to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the workforce.
While collecting…
FTC Provides Privacy and Data Security Tips for Videoconferencing
The Federal Trade Commission released guidance for increasing privacy and data security while videoconferencing over the internet. The FTC is recommending that video conference users take the following steps:
- Make sure that only those individuals who were invited to the meeting are in attendance by securing the meeting by password or providing unique meeting and/or
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Troutman Sanders Attorneys Publish Law360 Article, “Privacy Bill Is Not As Robust As Calif. Law”
Illinois made its first attempt at being in the vanguard of adopting new privacy laws with legislation to protect the biometric data of its residents with the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Illinois followed BIPA as the first state to pass legislation requiring an employer to disclose the use of artificial intelligence in the video-interview process…