New York Attorney General
The New York state attorney general Eliot Spitzer has taken initiatives to make New York a leading state in investor protection, labor rights, personal privacy, public safety and criminal law enforcement. The office of the attorney general of New York concerns itself with issues that affect various segments of people across the state. Some of the areas that come within the gamut of control of the New York State attorney general:
- Labor and employment rights
- Internet concerns
- Consumer issues
- Conducting and starting business in New York
- Environmental concerns
- Safety and law and order concerns
The attorney general of New York State has a Civil Rights Bureau that comes down heavily on discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, marital status or disability. This bureau of the office of the attorney general of New York State applies federal and state civil rights laws to investigate and litigate complaints against unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, credit and places of public accommodation.
New York Attorney General Office
The New York Attorney General office was involved in determining the use of pesticides in New York schools and the necessary precautions being taken to reduce exposure. After an investigation, it was decided that schools should adopt the least toxic pest management policies so as to reduce pesticide exposure. The schools were expected to notify the staff, teachers, administrators and parents about the pesticides that were being used. Schools were also warned against using pesticides containing probable or known carcinogens for merely aesthetic purposes such as lawn care.
In April 2003, New York State attorney general announced a settlement in the federal antitrust lawsuit involving cancer-fighting drug Taxol. The allegation against Taxol was that this drug manufacturer unlawfully blocked less expensive generic drugs from entering the marketplace. The Attorney general of New York held that this settlement would compensate New Yorkers and the state for overpaying for this drug. It highlighted that the State would hold drug companies accountable when they attempt to unlawfully block generic competitors from entering the market. The State would receive a portion of the $55 million settlement as certain government entities had purchased Taxol.
In yet another recent case where the office of the attorney general of New York assisted a criminal investigation, a former stockbroker was accused of three felony counts stemming from a $5.4 million stock fraud scheme. This investigation was assisted by the United States Security and Exchange Commission and the Greene County District Attorney’s Office.
The Attorney general of the state of New York has recently charged GlaxoSmithKline with suppression of facts on their drug Paxil. This drug is being prescribed for treating kids with depression. But unpublished clinical studies have shown that this drug could lead to more suicidal thinking among the youths.
