Tag: Tennessee Attorney General

Tennessee Attorney General and Secretary of State’s Offices Warn of Scammers Using Celebrities Names and Likeness to Solicit Money

Kaitlin Housler
Skrmetti and Haggert

Tennessee’s secretary of state and attorney general’s offices warn Tennesseans of a “significant rise” of scammers attempting to use celebrities’ names and likenesses to solicit consumer money.

“Sadly, we’ve seen a significant rise in scammers attempting to utilize the name or likeness of celebrities to take advantage of consumers,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said in a statement. “We encourage all to remain vigilant and report any questionable communications to us or the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office so we can prevent Tennesseans from being victimized.”

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Tennessee Attorney General Leads Lawsuit Challenging HHS Final Rule on Gender Identity Under the Affordable Care Act

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch led a coalition of 13 other states in filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) final rule, which redefines the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against discrimination based on “sex” to include “gender identity.”

As of May 6, HHS’ final rule requires medical providers to perform surgeries and administer hormone drugs to both children and adults for the purpose of gender transition, without regard for a doctor’s medical judgment as to whether that treatment was appropriate.

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Tennessee AG Skrmetti Launches Probe into Attempted Foreclosure of Elvis Presley’s Iconic Graceland Home

Kaitlin Housler
Jonathan Skrmetti Graceland

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Thursday that his office is “looking into” a private investment company’s attempt to foreclose on Elvis Presley’s iconic Graceland home in Memphis.

Graceland became the target of Nausanny Investments and Private Lending, LLC after the company claimed that the singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in 2023, didn’t repay a loan that used the home as collateral.

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Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia Join Lawsuit Against the NCAA’s NIL Recruitment Ban Led by Tennessee AG Jonathan Skrmetti

Kaitlin Housler

The attorneys general of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia have joined Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ lawsuit challenging the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) name, image, and likeness (NIL) recruitment ban.

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Exclusive: Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Calls the Biden Administration’s Overhaul of Title IX ‘Extreme’

Kaitlin Housler
Skrmetti MPL Show

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the Biden administration’s finalized rule to rewrite Title IX is “extreme,” noting how the administration’s determination to rewrite anti-discrimination rules to encompass gender identity issues appears to be one of its “highest priorities.”

On Tuesday, Skrmetti led six states in suing the Biden administration’s Department of Education on Tuesday over its finalized rule to rewrite Title IX to encompass gender identity and sexual orientation.

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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Leads Coalition in Lawsuit Challenging the EEOC’s Abortion Rule

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti pursued legal action against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Thursday over its new rule regarding workplace abortion accommodations.

In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) into law, which protects pregnant workers and their babies by directing that women receive workplace accommodations for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.”

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Tennessee Bill Would Change State NIL Law to Match AG’s NCAA Lawsuit

The Center Square
UT Football

The Tennessee Senate approved a bill that would put state law on college athletics name, image and likeness rules in line with a lawsuit brought against the National Collegiate Athletic Association by the Tennessee Attorney General.

The bill would change Tennessee law to allow prospective students to hire an agent and would eliminate fair market value limitations on athlete pay.

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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skmretti Calls on U.S. Senate to Pass the Laken Riley Act

Kaitlin Housler
TN AG

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 25 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to leaders in the U.S. Senate urging the immediate passage of the Laken Riley Act.

Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was allegedly killed at the hands of an illegal Venezuelan immigrant while on a jog near campus.

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Tennessee Attorney General Joins Letter Supporting Texas’ Border Defense Barriers

Kaitlin Housler
Skrmetti Border

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a coalition of 26 other attorneys general in sending a letter to the Biden administration proclaiming support for the steps Texas has taken at its border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigrant crossings.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the Biden administration to allow Border Patrol agents to cut through or move razor wire Texas installed on its border with Mexico to prevent illegal entries into the U.S.

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Attorney General Skrmetti Files Complaint Against DHS and ICE After the Agencies Failed to Provide Information on Illegal Migrants Being Bussed to Tennessee

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed an official complaint against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday, alleging the two entities have failed to produce documents regarding the release of immigrant detainees into Tennessee.

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Tennessee AG Pushes Back on the Biden Administration’s Proposed Rule on Water Heaters

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed another public comment opposing the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) latest rule to set new efficiency standards for consumer water heaters.

The DOE’s rule, proposed in July, would “prescribe energy conservation standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including consumer water heaters,” according to the department.

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Tennessee AG Warns Residents of New Facebook Marketplace Scam

Kaitlin Housler

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti warned Tenessee residents on Wednesday of a scam business that utilizes Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) Commissioner Carter Lawrence’s forged signature through a Facebook Marketplace listing.

As part of the scam, according to Skrmetii’s office, a listing is placed on Facebook Marketplace for a nonexistent tractor for sale.

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Tennessee AG Sends Letter to SEC Concerning the World’s Biggest Fashion Retailer’s Business Practices

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a coalition of 15 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler regarding business practices reported by the China-founded, fast-fashion retailer SHEIN.

SHEIN was founded in Nanjing, China in 2008 has become the world’s largest fashion retailer with an estimated value of $64 billion. The company’s mobile app is currently the fourth most downloaded app in the United States. In addition, the company is one of TikTok’s largest advertisers and pays thousands of social media “influencers” to market its wares to consumers via videos on the platform.

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Tennessee AG Skrmetti Joins New Initiative Attempting to Crack Down on Illegal Telemarketing Calls

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Tuesday his office has joined a new, joint state and federal initiative to crack down on illegal telemarketing calls to U.S. consumers.

Skrmetti’s office joined the Operation Stop Scam Calls intuitive, a partnership with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), law enforcement agencies nationwide, and attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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Tennessee AG’s Office Responds to Reports of Vanderbilt University Medical Center Handing over Medical Records of Transgender Patients

Kaitlin Housler
Doctor

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s Office released a statement reacting to reports that Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) turned over medical records of transgender patients to the state’s highest legal office.

On Tuesday, The Tennessean reported that it had reviewed a notice from VUMC informing patients of the transfer of records, which, according to the outlet, the facility said was the result of an investigation into “billing for transgender care services provided to individuals enrolled in State-sponsored insurance plans.”

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Tennessee AG Skrmetti Leads 46 States to Demand China-Based TikTok Comply with Multistate Investigation

Admin

Forty-six attorneys general joined Tennessee in requesting that a state court force TikTok to comply with an ongoing multistate investigation into the platform’s impact on children.

Following TikTok’s failure to comply with a Request for Information (RFI) last week, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion Monday to require the Chinese-owned social media company to preserve documents and internal messages, his office announced. Colorado and 45 other states also filed an amicus brief Monday in support of Skrmetti’s motion, arguing that TikTok’s failure to respond impedes “the State’s ability to protect their citizens.”

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Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti Issues New Statement After Ticketmaster Offers Taylor Swift Fans Second Chance to Score Tickets

Kaitlin Housler

Following outrage and legal action, Ticketmaster announced it would offer a second chance for a select number of fans to acquire tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming “Eras Tour”.

In November, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star, Ticketmaster announced that it suspended ticket sales for Swift’s tour after the site experienced an array of problems during its previous ticket presale event.

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Rulemaking Approval Process Advances for New Tennessee School Funding Formula

Admin

Tennessee’s new public school funding program, the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, continues to move forward and soon rulemaking for the program will begin a review by Tennessee’s Attorney General before publication for 90 days on the Secretary of State’s website.

While many details of TISA were spelled out in legislation passed in April and signed into law in May by Gov. Bill Lee, rulemaking is required to give more detailed specifics on how the funding formula will operate. Those rules passed the Tennessee State Board of Education’s review before moving on to the Attorney General review.

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Tennessee’s State Republican Leaders Praise Jonathan Skrmetti’s Appointment as New Attorney General

Aaron Gulbransen

Top Tennessee state Republicans celebrated the decision of the Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday to appoint Jonathan Skrmetti as Tennessee’s next attorney general. 

Lt. Governor Randy McNally said in a tweet, “Congratulations AG @JSkrmetti! Jonathan’s legal acumen and conservative principles are unquestioned. Having worked with him in his role as @GovBillLee’s counsel as well as when he served as Deputy Attorney General, I am confident he will be an outstanding Attorney General.”

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Tennessee Supreme Court Picks Jonathan Skrmetti as State’s New Attorney General

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Supreme Court announced in a statement released on Wednesday that they have selected Jonathan Skrmetti to serve as the state’s next Attorney General and Reporter.

“Mr. Skrmetti has dedicated the majority of his career to public service and has the breadth of experience and vision necessary to lead the Attorney General’s office for the next eight years,” Chief Justice Roger A. Page said. “He is an accomplished attorney with a deep understanding of Tennessee government and our judicial system.”

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Tennessee Supreme Court Makes Names of All Attorney General Candidates Public for First Time in History

Aaron Gulbransen

For the first time in Tennessee history, the Tennessee Supreme Court has made the names of ALL candidates available to the public.

The Court lists the applications of William Edwin “Bill” Young of Brentwood, Jerome Cochran of Gallatin, Donald Q. Cochran, Jr. of Nashville, and David Michael Dunavant of Covington as of 4pm on Thursday, July 28.

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Tennessee Supreme Court Yet to Announce Process of Selecting Next Attorney General

Aaron Gulbransen
Tennessee Star - Constitution Series

The Tennessee Supreme Court, which is the body that appoints the state’s attorney general, has yet to announce an official process in the search to replace Attorney General Herbert Slatery who leaves office at the end of August.

The process is expected to be conducted in a similar manner as the one that yielded Slatery. He has served as Tennessee’s attorney general since 2014 and not seeking an additional eight-year term.

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Sources Say Gov. Lee Believes His Pick for Attorney General, Brandon Gibson, Already a Done Deal with Tennessee Supreme Court

Aaron Gulbransen

Sources familiar with the thinking of Governor Bill Lee and his team tell The Tennessee Star that Governor Lee believes that “it is already a done deal” that his preferred choice for attorney general, Brandon Gibson, will get the appointment.

The sources spoke with The Star on background and one said, “It is very well thought by Governor Lee’s team and highest corners of office in the executive branch that the open Attorney General seat is a lock to go to Brandon Gibson.”

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