From the DC Office of the Attorney General:
“Attorney General Karl Racine today announced a settlement requiring three real estate firms–DARO Management Services, DARO Realty, and Infinity Real Estate–and several individual defendants to pay a landmark $10 million in penalties for illegally discriminating against renters in the District who use Section 8 housing vouchers and other forms of housing assistance. This is the largest civil penalty in a housing discrimination case in U.S. history. Read More
photo by rosie dawn griffin
From the DC Office of the Attorney General’s Office:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) filed a complaint against Pepco for systemically mishandling community solar projects, potentially overcharging more than 6,800 District households on their monthly electric bills, and undermining the District’s efforts to meet its clean energy goals. Read More
photo by Jeff Vincent
From the Office of the Attorney General:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today sued Google, LLC for deceiving and manipulating consumers to gain access to their location data, including making it nearly impossible for users to stop their location from being tracked. Three other attorneys general also plan to file lawsuits in their own state courts in a bipartisan, coordinated effort to hold Google accountable for misleading and violating the privacy of its users. Read More
From the office of the DC Attorney General:
“Today, Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced that Getaround, Inc., a car sharing company that operates in numerous cities throughout the United States will be required to pay $950,000 to the District; restitution to car owners that experienced theft or damage to their vehicles while listed on the platform; and revise its business practices after allegedly misrepresenting the benefits and nature of its car sharing services, operating without a license in the District, and failing to pay District sales tax. Read More
photo by Jim Havard
From the DC Attorney General’s Office:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today issued the following statement about violent crime in the District:
“Gun violence and violent crime are impacting the entire District, and residents deserve a thoughtful and long-term response. A six-year-old girl, Nyiah Courtney, was shot and killed last Friday. Tens of thousands of fans at Nationals Park dove for cover thinking they were in the middle of an active shooter situation last Saturday. These are appalling and gut-wrenching events. My heart goes out to the victims and loved ones of those directly impacted by all of these incidents and the community members shaken by the trauma of this violence in their city.
“Gun violence is hurting our whole community, ripping apart families, and creating fear and trauma. No one wants to fear for their child’s life as they go to school or walk down the street. But in parts of the District – that is a daily reality. We must be clear-eyed that violence has long plagued parts of our city that too often get overlooked – particularly low-income communities of color. It is our job as elected leaders to do everything we can to stop it, prevent more senseless deaths, and make every part of the District safer. I may not have all the answers, but my office is doing everything we can to stop the gun violence and violent crime in our community now and in the future.
“Our city needs a comprehensive plan. It needs a clear, consistent, and all-hands-on-deck approach. Some of these steps include action my office is already taking, and some are bigger than my office alone. But we must work together to make meaningful progress. Read More
photo by angela n.
From the office of Attorney General Karl Racine:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today issued the following statement after the DC Council passed emergency legislation — introduced by Chairman Mendelson earlier this week, and written in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) — that will protect DC consumers from abusive and unfair debt collection practices after the District’s temporary COVID-19 protections end and debt collection activity resumes. Read More
Photo by Diane Krauthamer
Ed. Note: DCRA recently launched a new Contractor Rating System
From the D.C. Office of the Attorney General:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that a DC-based real estate developer will be required to pay $400,000 in penalties and increase its health and safety protocols for violating District laws protecting residents from toxic lead and for deceiving homebuyers about potential lead paint hazards. Read More
From The Office of the Attorney General:
“Today, Attorney General Karl A. Racine filed a lawsuit against the parent company of Washington Sports Club for failing to comply with the District’s health and safety orders related to COVID-19. In the complaint, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleges that the Dupont Circle location of the Washington Sports Club failed to enforce the District’s mask mandate, set and enforce appropriate social distancing guidelines, and properly disinfect equipment. Through the lawsuit, OAG is seeking civil penalties and a court order requiring the gym to comply with applicable safety regulations. Read More
Photo by Diane Krauthamer
From the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that Urban Athletic Club, a District gym chain, will be required to pay a penalty of $10,000 to resolve allegations it had misled consumers and failed to comply with emergency COVID-19 health and safety requirements. In a December 2020 lawsuit, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleged that Urban Athletic Club violated the District’s COVID-19 public health emergency orders and consumer protection laws by allowing customers to exercise at its Shaw location without masks, adequate distancing, or proper equipment sanitization. After OAG filed suit, the company entered into an interim agreement requiring it to begin enforcing the COVID-19 orders at its clubs. As part of the settlement, Urban Athletic Club must pay $10,000 to the District and continue complying with COVID-19 safety requirements and District law over the next year. Read More
Photo by Thomas Dooley
From The Office of the Attorney General:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced a lawsuit against Instacart, a grocery delivery service, for charging District consumers millions of dollars in deceptive service fees and for failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in District sales tax. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleges that for a span of 18 months, Instacart failed to clearly disclose to consumers that optional service fees were added on their bills and led them to believe these fees were tips for their delivery workers. In fact, the fees were an extra revenue source for the company and did not increase workers’ pay. Additionally, OAG alleges that Instacart violated District tax law and failed to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales taxes on delivery and service fees it collected. OAG is seeking restitution for consumers who paid deceptive fees, back taxes and interest on taxes owed to the District, civil penalties and costs. Read More
