U.S. Supreme Court

Be aware of any text or website that looks “official”— it may not be 

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today warned drivers of a significant increase in text-based toll scam activity. The texts in question claim consumers owe FasTrak express lane or toll charges, link to a website and ask for online payment. This scam is designed to deceive drivers into entering banking or credit card information into a website, fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies. Attorney General Bonta urges Californians to not click on links in texts appearing to alert consumers to overdue toll charges. 

“Scammers have become skilled at imitating legitimate companies, sometimes even linking to legitimate websites. Text-based toll charge scams are prevalent right now and knowing what to look for can keep consumers safe against these tactics,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I urge Californians to take practical steps to guard against being victimized by scammers, including visiting official websites only and talking to friends and family who may be unaware of these dangers.” 

Most of these scams claim to be from FasTrak and link to a fraudulent website claiming to be run by The Toll Roads. The Toll Roads and other California tolling agencies do not send text messages to non-accountholders. 

FasTrak is the electronic toll collection system used on tolled bridges, lanes and roads in California. It allows drivers to pay tolls electronically without having to stop at toll booths. FasTrak does not request payment by text with a link to a website.  The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), operator of The Toll Roads in Orange County, advises accountholders to verify a valid text notification by logging into their account at thetollroads.com or through The Toll Roads app. 

For all other toll agencies, please use official webpages only — you can find a list of California toll webpages below.

If You Receive a Possible Toll Scam Text:

• DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. 
• File a complaint. File a complaint with the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, and our office. Be sure to include the phone number from where the text originated and the website listed within the text.
• Delete any scam texts received. 
• Check your account using the toll service’s legitimate website. For a comprehensive list of all tolling agencies in California and their websites, please see here or below.

            o       The Toll Roads: https://thetollroads.com/
            o       Bay Area FasTrak: https://bayareafastrak.org/
            o       Metro ExpressLanes: https://metroexpresslanes.net/
            o       91 Express Lanes: https://91expresslanes.com/
            o       405 Express Lanes: https://405expresslanes.com/
            o       Riverside Express: https://riversideexpress.com/
            o       SANDAG: https://www.sandag.org/fastrak/

• Secure your personal information and financial accounts. If you clicked any link or provided your information, take efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts. Dispute any unfamiliar charges.

To report a text-based scam to the Attorney General, visit oag.ca.gov/contact/general-contact-form. 

SACRAMENTO – Recognizing that the incoming presidential administration poses a threat to reproductive rights, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced two sponsored bills related to reproductive healthcare. The Medication Abortion Access bill, joint authored by Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento) and Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), will ensure that Californians continue to have access to abortion care, including medication abortion, and will shield manufacturers, distributors, authorized healthcare providers, and individuals from any civil, criminal, or professional liability when legally transporting, distributing, or administering medication abortion in California. The Attorney General Enforcement of the Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA) bill, authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), will, among other things, allow the Attorney General to seek monetary penalties from local government entities that interfere with the reproductive rights of Californians by using their power to block or obstruct abortion providers from opening in their regions.

“As a father of two incredible young women, who have fewer rights than their mother and grandmother, I see the concern in their eyes as they navigate a world that is chipping away at their reproductive rights. I know this concern is felt by individuals across this country too,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “I want to make it unequivocally clear: California will remain a safe haven for reproductive rights and access to abortion care, no matter who is in the White House. We have been preparing for this moment, and today’s legislation doubles down on our commitment to protect those seeking reproductive healthcare, including access to medication abortion. Progress will always prevail, and I will use the full force of this office and all the tools at my disposal to fearlessly and fiercely defend your constitutional rights, including your reproductive rights.”

“It is our job as legislators to ensure that women have access to comprehensive healthcare and that decisions about her reproductive health remain between her and her physician,” said Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D-La Mesa). “As a board certified OB/GYN I am aware of the complexity and uniqueness associated with each pregnancy and strongly advocate against generalized policies that can ultimately cause harm and in some cases lead to unnecessary maternal deaths.”

“We here in California have been fighting to maintain reproductive rights for women across the country. I’m proud to stand with Assemblymember Krell to fight to protect those rights for California women, because women should make their own health care decisions, said Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). “As Chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, we will continue the fight as women in other states face increasing restrictions to the reproductive health care they need.”

“With Prop 1, we enshrined the right to abortion in California’s constitution. But this right is meaningless if it can’t be safely accessed,” said Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D-Sacramento). “This law ensures that women in California will have access to medication abortion, even in an uncertain federal environment.”

“The medication abortion protocols are not only safe, effective and most widely used methods of abortion care, they are an integral part of the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, said Onyemma Obiekea, Policy Director, Black Women for Wellness Action Project. “Safeguarding continued access to medication abortion in California is imperative for women and birthing people in our state to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families with dignity. We are deeply grateful to the Attorney General and champions in the legislature, who are committed to ensuring that our communities have the resources necessary to support our reproductive autonomy and determine our reproductive destinies.”

"The fundamental right to reproductive healthcare is non-negotiable in California. No individual should face barriers to accessing care due to the deliberate actions of anyone,” said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda). “By empowering the Attorney General to enforce the Reproductive Privacy Act, this legislation ensures that our laws are more than words on paper—they are protections in practice. I’m proud to stand with Attorney General Bonta in defending the reproductive freedoms of every Californian.”

“For two decades, anti-abortion extremists have targeted Mifepristone and sought to interfere and inhibit people’s access to this safe and effective drug, even in states like California where abortion is legal. We know the incoming Trump administration and anti-abortion majority in Congress threaten pregnant people’s access to medication abortion and we must preserve and protect its availability in California,” said Planned Parenthood CEO and President Jodi Hicks. “Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California is proud to co-sponsor this legislation with Attorney General Bonta and Assemblymember Krell to protect access to medication abortion and the ability of providers like us to provide patients with the care they need and deserve. As we prepare for the challenges ahead, PPAC is committed to working alongside our state, legislative, and organizational partners to fiercely defend reproductive freedom in California, including the right of all patients to access their preferred care, when and where they need it.”

“Bold state action like that in Medical Abortion Access is urgently needed to protect abortion access as we prepare to face swift and severe threats to sexual and reproductive health nationwide,” said Shannon Olivieri Hovis, Vice President of Public Affairs at Essential Access Health. “Essential Access Health proudly administers three abortion access grant programs established by the state of California and has served as the lead implementation partner helping UCs and CSUs integrate medication abortion on campus. We are grateful to Attorney General Bonta and Assemblymember Krell for their resolute leadership to protect access in California, and we will continue to work day in and day out with our partners and elected leaders to secure additional protections critical to safeguarding abortion access in California.”

For decades, medication abortion has been an accessible and affordable medication for individuals who need critical, time-sensitive reproductive care, including for abortions and the treatment of miscarriages. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000, mifepristone, one of two pills used in medication abortions, is safe and effective. Mifepristone is so safe that it has a better safety record than household medications such as Tylenol, penicillin, and Viagra.

If the federal government tries to ban the mailing and distribution of medication abortion, the Medical Abortion Access bill would shield manufacturers, distributors, authorized healthcare providers, and individuals from civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action for accessing, mailing, shipping, receiving, transporting, distributing, or administering medication abortion in California.

Currently, there have been occurrences of interference with the reproductive rights of Californians from local government entities using their power to block or obstruct abortion providers from opening in their regions. The most recent example was the City of Beverly Hills’ interference with an abortion provider’s ability to open within its borders. The Attorney General Enforcement of the RPA bill would allow the Attorney General to seek monetary penalties for RPA violations from government entities, as well as allow the Attorney General to put the expense of those investigations and civil prosecutions on the government entities who violate the law through recovery of the Attorney General’s fees and expenses.

Attorney General Bonta has been unwavering in his continued commitment to defend reproductive rights in California and nationwide. Last month, he held Beverly Hills accountable for preventing a reproductive health clinic from opening, violating California’s constitutional right to abortion. This September, he sued a hospital in Northern California over its failure to provide emergency abortion healthcare. Earlier this year, he co-led a coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief before the en banc court of the Ninth Circuit, supporting the Biden administration’s challenge to Idaho’s near-total ban on abortion. Working with the California State Legislature, he also sponsored legislation, now law, to protect reproductive digital information and prevent the arrest of individuals or the disclosure of information by law enforcement in an investigation related to any abortion already legal in California. 

The text of the Medication Abortion Access bill (Assembly Bill 54) can be found here and of the RPA bill (Assembly Bill 67) here. 

SAN FRANCISCO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today delivered remarks on California Department of Justice’s preparations to protect California’s values, people, and natural resources ahead of a second Trump Administration. To view a recording of the press conference, please visit here. 

Attorney General Bonta's Remarks as Prepared for Delivery:

As the reality of a second Trump Administration takes hold, I know there is a great deal of fear, sadness, anxiety, and panic. 

I understand. 

I’m here today to reassure you that in California, progress will prevail. 

No matter who is in the White House, no matter who holds control of Congress, in California we will keep moving forward. 

In California, we will choose calm over chaos. 

Fact over fiction.

Belonging over blame.

Unity over division. 

“Us and we” over “I and me.” 

It’s why we’re the 5th largest economy in the world. Not in spite of our commitment to workers, consumers, and the environment, because of it. 

Because we’re the largest and most diverse state in the nation.

Because we believe in the power of inclusivity.

Because we believe in truth over lies. Hope over hate. Light over dark.

Because  we believe in looking forward.

It’s who we are in the Golden State. It’s in our DNA. Nothing and no one can change that. 

As Attorney General, I’ll continue to use the full force of the law and authority of this office to address injustice. 

To stand up for all people, especially those who have long been overlooked and undervalued.

To safeguard reproductive rights. 

And advocate for more housing — especially more affordable housing for lower and middle-income families just trying to get by.

I’ll continue to take on greedy corporate giants and fight for more affordable gas, groceries, and everything in between.  

I’ll continue to defend our world-renowned natural resources and protect them for generations to come. 

Continue to fight for clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.

Continue to crack down on illicit guns on our streets and get fentanyl out of our neighborhoods. 

Continue to fight for workers.

I’ll continue to protect, defend, and serve every single Californian. No matter your politics. 

I’m here to ensure every person — no matter how they look, how much money they make, where they’re from, who they love, how they identify, or how they pray — can pursue their version of the California Dream. 

A fair wage and good benefits.  

A safe and affordable place to live.  

Affordable and accessible health care. 

Good schools to send our kids to. 

Safe neighborhoods to raise our families. 

That’s my promise to you, no matter who is in the White House.  

We’ve been here before.

We lived through Trump 1.0. 

We know what he’s capable of. 

We know what plans he has in store. 

The silver lining is just that: we know. 

We know to take Trump at his word when he says he’ll roll back environmental protections, go after our immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities, attack our civil rights, and restrict access to essential reproductive care.

Which means, we won’t be flat-footed come January.

You can be sure that as California Attorney General, if Trump attacks your rights: I’ll be there. 

If Trump comes after your freedoms: I’ll be there. 

If Trump jeopardizes your safety and well-being: I’ll be there.

California DOJ did it before and we’ll do it again.  

During the last Trump Administration, California DOJ fought to stop illegal rollbacks and proposals that would’ve harmed the well-being, health, safety, and civil rights of our people and of people across the country. 

That would have caused irrevocable damage to our environment.

No matter who is in charge of the federal government…

No matter what the incoming Administration has in store… California will remain the steadfast beacon of progress it has long been.  

A constant, unwavering, immoveable force to be reckoned with.  

We’ll continue to be a check on overreach and push back on abuse of power. 

Be the antidote to dangerous, extremist, hateful vitriol.

Be the blueprint of progress for the nation to look to.

Remember: in moments of chaos in D.C., you can always look to California for calm resolve. 

California leaders across the state are ready to stand arm-in-arm. 

Governor Newsom and every single Constitutional Officer;  

Senator Padilla and Senator-elect Schiff;  

Democratic members of Congress; 

Pro Tem McGuire, Speaker Rivas, and the California Legislature; 

Mayors, supervisors, and city councilmembers from San Francisco to San Diego are ready to fight for our California values. 

For our people. For our environment.

For progress and justice.

And as necessary, we’re ready to take on the challenges of a second Trump Administration — together.

While a great deal of change is on the horizon…

California’s path to progress remains full steam ahead.

It may not always be linear. Progress so rarely is. 

It zigs and zags. Takes frustrating detours. Inches forward and backward and forward again. 

The detours and setbacks don’t define our progress.

Our commitment to forward momentum defines our progress. Defines us. 

It’s what we do next that will define us. 

If you’re feeling despondent today, remember that you’re not alone. 

In California, we’re not looking back. We’re not moving back. 

We’re California! We’ll meet any challenges head on and rise to the occasion.

As is so often said, as California goes, so goes the nation.

In the days and months and years to come, all eyes will look west. 

In California, they’ll see: we’re still moving forward.

Thank you. 

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a multistate coalition of 18 attorneys general in an amicus brief before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The brief supports President Biden’s Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV Parole Program). The CHNV Parole Program offers qualified individuals from those four countries an opportunity to apply for advance travel authorization and to be considered on a case-by-case basis for temporary humanitarian parole of up to two years, which includes employment authorization. In the amicus brief, the coalition underscores the states’ interest in upholding the federal government's discretionary power to allow certain migrants entry or immigrants to stay in the country on humanitarian grounds. The brief urges the court to leave the CHNV Parole Program in place.

“In California, we believe that migrants escaping violence should be treated with compassion and dignity, and immigration parole programs are a crucial part of a just and secure immigration system,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The Biden Administration’s CHNV Parole Program provides safe pathway to apply for protection for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, or Venezuelan migrants fleeing violence and upheaval. We urge the court to uphold this program that creates orderly processes for people fleeing humanitarian crises to lawfully reach the United States." 

The federal executive branch has, since the Eisenhower Administration, exercised its authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to parole migrants into the United States for humanitarian and other purposes. Parole provides a safe, legal, and orderly pathway for individuals to join their families and seek protection in the United States. The lawsuit, led by Texas, threatens to undermine the federal government’s ability to launch crucial programs that assist migrants fleeing unstable circumstances in their home countries to enter the United States.

In the amicus brief, the coalition asserts:

• Immigrants are key contributors to state economies, parole recipients fill critical positions in industries with labor shortages, and enjoining the program would foreclose these benefits.
• Enjoining the parole pathways would separate families and subject parolees to danger by forcing them to return to the dangerous conditions from which they fled.
• The plaintiffs incorrectly argue that the parole pathways increase crime and impose costs on states, when evidence suggests they will likely decrease both crime and costs to states for law enforcement, healthcare, and other services.

In submitting the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and the District of Columbia

A copy of the amicus brief is available here. 

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down confirmation of Purdue Pharma L.P.’s (Purdue) bankruptcy plan in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, finding that nonconsensual third-party releases are not authorized under the Bankruptcy Code. Purdue’s bankruptcy plan provided the Sackler family, which owned Purdue, immunity in exchange for paying up to $6 billion for claims related to the company’s misleading marketing of its powerful pain medication OxyContin and their role in creating the opioid crisis. Today’s decision reverses a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that had afforded the Sacklers broad protection from liability that far exceeded what they would have obtained had they gone through bankruptcy themselves.

 “For years, the Sackler family prioritized their own interests and profits over people, fueling the opioid epidemic that ravaged our communities and led to the loss of countless lives across our country,” said Attorney General Bonta. “No amount of money will ever undo the devastation that the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma have caused in perpetuating this crisis, but today’s decision will allow those that have suffered at the hands of the Sacklers to hold them accountable for their greed and willful misconduct. There is still much work to be done to fight the opioid epidemic, and the California Department of Justice remains committed to building on our efforts to heal our communities and respond to this epidemic from all angles, from providing resources for prevention and treatment to holding those responsible for this crisis accountable.”

Attorney General Bonta is unwavering in his commitment to protect California communities and fight the opioid crisis. In September, Attorney General Bonta filed a letter with the U.S. Supreme Court in this case again expressing his view that nonconsensual third party releases, such as those here, were unlawful. In addition, the California Department of Justice has secured over $48 billion through nationwide settlements, including up to $4.25 billion for California, bringing needed funding back to communities for treatment and prevention strategies.

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Idaho v. U.S.  that it would not decide whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), a federal law, requires hospitals to provide necessary abortion care to pregnant people experiencing medical emergencies irrespective of any conflicting State law. Every hospital in the United States that operates an emergency department and participates in Medicare is subject to EMTALA. Under the law, emergency departments are required to provide all patients who have an emergency medical condition with the treatment required to stabilize their condition. Yet Idaho’s radical abortion ban, which came into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, criminalized the very abortion care required by EMTALA. Idaho’s law allows only those abortions necessary to prevent a pregnant patient’s death, and so subjects healthcare providers who provide the broader swath of medically necessary emergency abortion care required by EMTALA to criminal prosecution and loss of their license. Instead of deciding whether Idaho’s law impermissibly prohibits emergency abortion care required by EMTALA, the Supreme Court will allow the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to decide the issue in the first instance. The Supreme Court also decided today that it will allow a preliminary injunction entered by the district court in Idaho to go into effect. For now, that preliminary injunction prevents Idaho from enforcing its ban with respect to emergency abortion care covered by EMTALA.  

“Today’s ruling ensures that, at least for now, pregnant patients facing medical emergencies in Idaho cannot be denied health-preserving abortion care,” said Attorney General Bonta. “But today’s decision is at best a temporary reprieve for pregnant patients and physicians in Idaho and any other State with a ban on abortion care. The battle to protect access to reproductive healthcare remains as this case and others continue, and as anti-abortion extremists work to undermine Americans’ most basic and fundamental reproductive rights. Our message to all who seek or provide reproductive healthcare is clear: California welcomes and supports you. We will continue to fight for every individual’s right to make their own healthcare decisions and reaffirm our commitment to making our state a beacon of reproductive freedom to every individual across this country.” 

The Attorney General remains committed to supporting, expanding, and protecting reproductive freedom. In April, the Attorney General issued guidance to remind medical providers, staff, and volunteers from states with near-total abortion bans of their rights and protections when providing reproductive healthcare under California state law. For more information on your reproductive rights in California, please click here. To report potential violations of EMTALA, please click here.

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed an amicus brief in Rosenberg-Wohl v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. (State Farm), a case that hinges on whether an Unfair Competition Law (UCL) action filed by a policyholder against their insurance company is subject to the UCL's four-year statute of limitations or the Insurance Code’s one-year limitations period for actions to recover on an insurance policy. The brief, filed in the California Supreme Court, argues that a UCL action is distinct from an action to recover policy benefits, therefore an insurance policy claims period cannot override the four-year statute of limitations that applies to all UCL actions. A contrary decision would hinder consumers’ ability to challenge unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent conduct by insurance companies. 

“We must protect consumers’ right to challenge abusive business practices by insurance companies,” said Attorney General Bonta. “California's Unfair Competition Law protects all 39 million Californians from unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices by any industry, including insurance companies. The lower court got it wrong and if allowed to stand the decision threatens to undermine the broad protections afforded to Californians under the Unfair Competition Law. I urge the California Supreme Court to overturn the erroneous decision.”

California’s UCL prohibits businesses in California from engaging in illegal, unfair, or fraudulent practices in any aspect of their business, and allows California consumers injured by those practices to go to court to protect their rights. The UCL can also be enforced by the Attorney General and district attorneys, as well as by some city attorneys and county counsels.  

The plaintiff in this case filed an insurance claim under their homeowners’ insurance policy with State Farm, which the insurer denied. Roughly a year and a half later, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit against State Farm, alleging that it violated the UCL by engaging in unfair and misleading practices that included failing to properly investigate property insurance claims and failing to provide explanations for claim denials. The plaintiff sought injunctive relief that would require the company to reform its marketing practices and its process for investigating and resolving certain home-insurance claims. The Court of Appeal upheld the dismissal of the plaintiff’s action as untimely, holding that the plaintiff’s UCL claims were subject to the contractual one-year limitations period rather than the UCL’s four-year statute of limitations because they arose from parties’ contractual relationship.

In today’s brief Attorney General Bonta argues that the one-year limitations period set forth in the Insurance Code does not apply to a UCL action, regardless of whether the action relates to an insurance claim. The brief also notes that the Court of Appeal's decision departs from long-standing Supreme Court precedent holding that the UCL’s statute of limitations “admits no exceptions.” 

Attorney General Bonta is committed to upholding Californians’ protections under the UCL:

• In February, Attorney General Bonta sent a letter small banks and credit unions warning that overdraft and returned deposited item fees may violate state and federal consumer protection laws, and urged small financial institutions to eliminate these fees.

• Also in February, Attorney General Bonta filed an amicus brief in Capito v. San Jose Healthcare System, LP, urging the court to clarify when consumers can sue businesses for engaging in fraudulent acts or practices, and to adopt a standard for unfair acts or practices in UCL cases.

• In January 2023, Attorney General Bonta announced a lawsuit against the nation's largest insulin makers and pharmacy benefit managers for driving up the cost of the lifesaving drug through unlawful, unfair, and deceptive business practices in violation of California's consumer protection laws.

•  In September 2022, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit against Amazon alleging that the company stifled competition and caused increased prices across California through anticompetitive contracting practices in violation of California’s consumer protection and antitrust laws.

A copy of the amicus brief can be found here.

Amalfi Stone & Masonry Company to pay $826,000 to resolve violations of payroll tax and labor code

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the filing of a complaint and stipulated judgment with Amalfi Stone & Masonry Company, Inc., (Amalfi) resolving allegations of unfair competition, payroll tax and labor violations committed by Amalfi and between July 2018 and May 2020. During this period, Amalfi, a stoneware company located in Sunland, California, utilized an unlicensed, out-of-state labor broker named Fabio Anselmo through their business, MALU Company, Inc. A joint investigation with the California Department of Justice (DOJ), the Employment Development Department (EDD), and the Labor Commissioner’s Office – Criminal Investigation Unit (LCO-CIU, as part of the Department of Industrial Relations) found that Amalfi failed to report and pay payroll taxes, pay overtime, and provide itemized wage statements to workers as a result of their association with Anselmo, the labor broker. 

“Workers are the backbone of California’s economy, and all workers deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The California Department of Justice will hold accountable companies who gain an unfair advantage in the market by using unscrupulous labor brokers who cut costs through wage theft or violating payroll taxes,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The growing use of labor brokers makes it difficult for honest, law-abiding companies to compete, and results in the mistreatment of workers. Today’s agreement with Amalfi Stone & Masonry is an important step towards correcting payroll tax and labor code violations, and we appreciate the steps that Amalfi took to cut ties with Anselmo in 2020. My office will continue to stand up for workers and defend labor laws and wages owed for workers across the state.”

“EDD and its partners stand firmly dedicated to combating unlawful activity in the underground economy, which hurts both law-abiding businesses and California workers," said EDD Director Nancy Farias. "Our investigators will continue working in collaboration with our law enforcement counterparts to apprehend and bring wrongdoers to justice." 

 “The construction industry has joint liability laws holding companies accountable for contracting with an unlicensed contractor. In this case, the company who contracted with an unlicensed contractor will pay the owed wages to workers,” said Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower. “Thanks to our collaborative work with the Department of Justice and the Employment Development Department, we are able to hold companies who hire labor contractors accountable and ensure workers are protected.”

Anselmo, a Florida resident and unlicensed labor broker, acted as a labor broker for Amalfi, recruiting and paying workers on Amalfi’s behalf to work on projects in Southern California. Most of the workers were from Florida and did not know that they were entitled to overtime pay when they worked more than eight hours a day or 40 days a week. None of the wages of the workers recruited by Fabio Anselmo were reported to the Employment Development Department (EDD). In 2020, Amalfi ceased using the services of the labor broker, Fabio Anselmo, and the company has taken steps to correct its practices in accordance with labor law. The stipulated judgment filed today resolves violations against Amalfi stemming from its association with Fabio Anselmo, and as part of the agreement, Amalfi will pay restitution for the victims and repay all unpaid taxes.

As part of the stipulated judgment, which is subject to court approval, Amalfi has agreed to pay the total amount of $826,430, including $426,340 to the EDD for back payroll taxes plus interest, $280,000 to 86 workers who were recruited by Anselmo and not paid overtime wages for overtime hours, $100,000 towards a civil penalty, and $20,000 for the cost of a restitution administrator.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to defending workers' rights, workplace safety, and California's fair and competitive labor market. Through the Civil Rights Enforcement Section, the Worker Rights and Fair Labor Section, and the Antitrust Law Section, Attorney General Bonta enforces California’s laws to protect the welfare of California workers and legitimate businesses operating in California. In 2024, Attorney General Bonta took action by defending wages and overtime owed in the West Coast Drywall Lawsuit. In 2023, Attorney General Bonta took action to protect workers, launching an historic investigation into gender discrimination in the National Football League, joined 17 attorneys general in supporting the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed rule limiting noncompete agreements, fought for the rights of transportation workers, and immigrant children. In November 2022, Attorney General Bonta joined 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief opposing McDonald’s attempt to evade liability for past alleged efforts to stifle competition and undercut wages through the use of “no-poach” agreements. In October 2022, Attorney General Bonta filed an amicus brief in an effort to protect Californians from discrimination in the employment hiring process. 

A copy of the complaint is available here and stipulated judgment pending court approval is available here.

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced a settlement resolving allegations that Arnel Management Company (Arnel) illegally withheld security deposits from tenants in Southern California. Specifically, Arnel — a corporate landlord that operates 19 apartment complexes in Orange and Los Angeles counties — is alleged to have automatically deducted pre-set cleaning charges from security deposits in violation of California law and an existing injunction. Under the terms of today’s settlement, Arnel will pay over $1 million and be subject to more stringent injunctive terms to deter future misconduct.

“California tenants have rights, and my office is committed to protecting those rights,” said Attorney General Bonta. “For many renters, especially those from lower income backgrounds, affording a security deposit entails a great deal of sacrifice. We are holding Arnel accountable because, in some cases, the company failed to return to tenants the entire security deposit that they were legally entitled to and worked hard to save up for.”

In 2001, the California Attorney General’s Office reached a separate settlement with Arnel related to its security deposit withholding practices. Today’s settlement is the result of a new investigation into Arnel and will replace and refine the terms of the 2001 judgment. The new investigation revealed that in some buildings Arnel was deducting pre-set cleaning fees from tenants’ security deposits, irrespective of the condition of the unit. Tenants could only avoid the pre-set cleaning fees by having their unit professionally cleaned when they moved out. 

Under the settlement, Arnel will, among other things:  

• Pay $500,000 in additional civil penalties.
• Pay $650,000 that will go to tenant rights-related legal aid organizations in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
• Be prohibited from requiring a tenant to repair any damages or defective conditions that preexisted the tenancy or that resulted from ordinary wear and tear.
• Be prohibited from imposing any pre-set or predetermined deductions, or treating any portion of a security deposit as nonrefundable, including, without limitation, by charging a standard cleaning fee, a standard carpet cleaning fee, a standard painting fee, or any other standard fees or deductions not tied to the condition of the unit.
• Be required to provide clear notice to tenants of their rights.
• Be required to respond to tenant complaints in writing, and support security deposit deductions with pictures. 

Under state law, withholding cleaning fees from a security deposit is allowed only when the unit is not left in the same level of cleanliness as when the tenant moved in. Tenants may clean their unit themselves, and landlords may not deduct for repairing ordinary wear and tear. In addition, tenants may ask their landlord to inspect their unit before they move out and identify any issues, so that the tenant has the chance to fix or clean them in order to avoid security-deposit deductions. Earlier this year, Attorney General Bonta issued five consumer alerts advising California tenants of their rights and protections under state law, and alerting property managers and landlords of their obligations to tenants. The consumer alert on security deposits can be found here. It is also available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. 

A copy of the stipulation and proposed amended judgment, which details the settlement terms and remains subject to court approval, can be found here and here.

**The information provided below is based on preliminary details regarding an ongoing investigation, which may continue to evolve**

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced that the California Department of Justice (DOJ), pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), is investigating and will independently review an officer-involved shooting (OIS) that occurred in Fontana, California on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at approximately 8 p.m. The OIS incident resulted in the death of one individual and reportedly occurred as officers with the Fontana Police Department responded to a call for assistance regarding disturbing the peace at a residence.

Following notification by local authorities, DOJ’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team initiated an investigation in accordance with AB 1506 mandates. Upon completion of the investigation, it will be turned over to DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review.

More information on the California Department of Justice’s role and responsibilities under AB 1506 is available here: https://oag.ca.gov/ois-incidents.