The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Fort Lee NJ, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced that the State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (“Board”) has revoked the license of a North Jersey physical therapist who admitted to engaging in sexual relations with one patient and allegedly made inappropriate remarks to another.
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Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey’s Attorney General, Matthew J. Platkin, alongside the Division of Consumer Affairs, has filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of engaging in deceptive and abusive practices that endanger the health and safety of the state’s youth. This action follows a multi-year investigation and is part of a growing national movement to hold social media companies accountable for their harmful impact on young users.
Continue reading New Jersey Sues TikTok for Exploitative Practices Targeting Youth
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Lodi NJ, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs (“Division”) announced today that 23 unlicensed movers were issued Notices of Violation (“NOVs”) and assessed civil penalties totaling $125,000, as a result of Operation Safe Move, a State-led undercover operation targeting movers doing business without being licensed by the Division, as required by law.
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Wayne NJ, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced that the State Board of Medical Examiners (“the Board”) has permanently revoked the medical license of a North Jersey emergency room doctor for alleged conduct that resulted in a patient’s death at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, New Jersey, in 2017. The Board became aware of the incident when the patient’s mother filed a complaint against the physician in 2022.
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Orange NJ, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs (“the Division”) today announced that the State Board of Medical Examiners (“the Board”) has revoked the license of an Essex County physician who had sexual relations with a cognitively impaired patient who bore his child in 1986.
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Trenton NJ, A consortium of charitable pregnancy centers in New Jersey have filed suit against the State of New Jersey regarding the Attorney General’s issuance of a “Consumer Alert” on December 7, 2022, that unfairly tarnishes their reputation and disregards the valuable services the centers offer at no charge to thousands of women and their families each year. The lawsuit demands copies of the documentation that the Attorney General and Consumer Affairs Director possessed when making certain statements in the Alert that the Consortium asserts are misleading and misrepresent how pregnancy centers in New Jersey operate.
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Elizabeth NJ , Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced that the New Jersey Bureau of Securities has revoked the registration of a former Wells Fargo agent and investment adviser representative for violating New Jersey’s securities laws. The Bureau found that Mario E. Rivero, Jr. made misrepresentations to at least four of his senior Wells Fargo customers to convince them to turn over at least $529,780 in cashier’s checks, over which he ultimately gained control for personal uses.
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Ridgewood NJ, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck today announced ELRAC, LLC d/b/a Enterprise Rent-A-Car (“Enterprise”) will pay $50,000 and overhaul its policies and practices for charging consumers for vehicle damage to resolve an investigation conducted by the Division of Consumer Affairs.
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Jersey City NJ, The Office of the Attorney General announced today that it is seeking to revoke the registrations of two Hudson County Health Care Service Firms for, among other things, allegedly submitting false, deceptive, or misleading documents to the State and improperly training Homemaker-Home Health Aides (CHHAs) that the companies sent into patient homes.
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NEWARK NJ, As New Jersey implements the State’s new adult-use cannabis law, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that the Division of Consumer Affairs today issued warning letters to businesses that claim to offer free “gifts” of marijuana or cannabis items with purchases of snacks, baked goods, or other products. The letters state that New Jersey will enforce the limits of the adult-use cannabis law to protect the integrity of the regulated market from competition by unlicensed businesses.
Twp. of Washington NJ, As part of their commitment to address sexual misconduct and abuse by licensed professionals, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Division of Consumer Affairs (the “Division”) today announced that the Board of Social Work Examiners (“Board”) has permanently revoked the license of a clinical social worker who engaged in criminal sexual contact with a teenage student she was counseling.
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Ridgewood NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced actions against a dozen merchants for consumer protection violations related to COVID-19, with penalties totaling tens of thousands of dollars. Among those subject to enforcement actions are two North Jersey businesses that allegedly made false or unsubstantiated claims in the sale of COVID-19 antibody tests and a Monmouth County business that was selling face masks at as much as six times the manufacturer’s retail prices.
Continue reading Bergen County Business Charged with Price-Gouging
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Ridgewood NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced that consumers may be eligible for partial refunds or credits from their health club memberships, now that gyms across the state have been closed for 30 days under Executive Orders issued by Governor Phil Murphy to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Continue reading Consumers May Now Be Eligible for Refunds or Credits on Health Clubs Memberships
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Ridgewood NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced measures to prevent unscrupulous retailers from attempting to unlawfully profit from New Jerseyans’ fears about the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Continue reading AG Grewal Warns Retailers: Do Not Try to Profiteering from Coronavirus Fears
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Newark NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Bureau of Securities within the Division of Consumer Affairs today filed suit against a Middlesex County man and the various investment companies he operated, alleging he defrauded more than $1.3 million from 26 New Jersey investors who bought stock in his online gambling companies, and then used the money to bankroll his lavish lifestyle.
In a complaint filed in New Jersey Superior Court, the Bureau alleges that Sandy J. Masselli, Jr., of Old Bridge, New Jersey, told investors that the money they invested in his Carlyle Gaming & Entertainment Ltd, and its successor company, Carlyle Entertainment, Ltd. (collectively the “Carlyle Companies”) would be used for proper corporate purposes.