Tag: Minnesota Attorney General

Ellison: Minnesota receiving $3.1 million in settlements with Walgreens, Johnson & Johnson

Credit: Leila Navidi, Star Tribune file

Minnesota was among dozens of states to file suit against the two health companies.

Minnesota will receive $3.1 million through settlements reached in three multi­state health care fraud-related lawsuits filed against Walgreens and Johnson & Johnson.

The largest share of the money, more than $2.1 million, comes from a $120 million settlement reached this month in a lawsuit filed by Minnesota and 45 other state attorneys general against Johnson & Johnson that alleged its subsidiary, DePuy, made misleading claims about how long its metal-on-metal hip-implant devices would last. The devices failed faster than DePuy claimed, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, requiring implant revision surgeries and causing pain, allergic reactions and other adverse health effects.

Minnesota was also part of two lawsuits filed by numerous states against Walgreens that began as whistleblower complaints. One suit, from which Minnesota will recover more than $761,000, alleged that Walgreens knowingly sent “hundreds of thousands” more insulin pens than needed to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care beneficiaries — improperly billing the federal health programs in the process.

View the complete January 25 article by Stephen Montemayor on The Star Tribune website here.

Attorney General-elect Keith Ellison prepares to take on drug companies as he takes over Attorney General’s office

In the wake of November’s election, pharmaceutical companies across the country announced massive price hikes to crucial medications. As Keith Ellison prepares his agenda for his tenure as Minnesota Attorney General, he has set his eyes on these price hikes and the companies behind them. 

From MPR:

As a candidate for attorney general, Keith Ellison said he would work to help people afford their lives and ensure they have dignity and respect. Ellison said those goals remain unchanged as he prepares to take office next week.

Drug prices, student debt and housing costs are among his top priorities, he said. Continue reading “Attorney General-elect Keith Ellison prepares to take on drug companies as he takes over Attorney General’s office”

What’s at stake in Tuesday’s election? When it comes to state offices, pretty much everything

Credit: Corey Anderson, MinnPost

So what’s at stake in Tuesday’s election when it comes to Minnesota constitutional offices and the state Legislature?

Kind of a lot — including the chance for Republicans to be elected to a statewide position for the first time in eight years, and for Democrats to regain control of the state Legislature.

Governor

Incumbent Gov. Mark Dayton had long let it be known he had no interest in seeking a third term in the office, which meant lots of people kicked the tires on possible campaigns for governor over the last two years. Open seats are rare enough that anybody who sees themselves as governor had to give it a look.

View the complete November 5 article by Peter Callaghan on the MinnPost.com website here.

Former AG candidate Noah Johnson reminds people to vote for Keith Ellison

Keith’s former opponent, Noah Johnson of the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party, dropped out of the race and endorsed Keith a few weeks ago. He released a video today asking folks to vote for Keith Ellison.

Even though Noah dropped out and endorsed Keith, he’s still going to be on the ballot, so we need to spread the word ourselves:

Doug Wardlow, LGBT rights and the gay man he allegedly bullied in high school

Ryan Durant holds a Eagan High School yearbook with a photo of Douglas Wardlow in Brooklyn Center on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Credit: Jean Pieri, Pioneer Press

Republican attorney general candidate Doug Wardlow’s record of opposing some gay rights dates back years.

For Ryan Durant, a former high school classmate, Wardlow’s views aren’t just a question of policy. They’re personal.

Durant remembers Wardlow as a high school bully who repeatedly harassed him for being gay — and as the person who mocked him after he attempted suicide in the 10th grade. Both Durant and Wardlow attended Eagan High School and graduated in the class of 1997.

View the complete October 27 article by Ryan Faircloth on the Pioneer Press website here.

Women’s Health Leaders Join Keith Ellison to Condemn Wardlow’s Derogatory Comments and Anti-Choice Agenda for the Attorney General’s Office

Newly unearthed blog reportedly authored by Wardlow says that “[a woman’s body] is designed to bear offspring,” and decries the Griswold v. Connecticut case, which guaranteed the right to access contraception

These views are consistent with Wardlow’s stated objectives for the Attorney General’s Office, saying he would favor overturning Roe v. Wade and would prioritize criminalizing a woman’s right to choose

With President Trump’s conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, Minnesotans need someone who will defend women’s rights as Attorney General, not attack them

MINNESOTA – Women’s health care leaders and advocates stood with Congressman Keith Ellison today in his campaign for Attorney General. to denounce derogatory comments reportedly made by Wardlow, and to condemn his dangerous and extreme anti-choice agenda for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

“As women’s rights fall under continued attack at the federal level, my opponent has pledged to use the Office of Attorney General to criminalize a woman’s right to choose and serve President Trump,”said Ellison. “These latest comments reinforce Wardlow’s long career of discrimination against those he disagrees with. As Attorney General, I will defend the rights of all, including the right of Minnesota women to access safe, affordable health care.”

News reports indicate that Doug Wardlow authored a secret, far-right political blog in violation of nonpartisan judicial ethics standards during his time working at the Minnesota Supreme Court. Among the extreme positions Wardlow reportedly took on the blog, are a belief that “[a woman’s body] is designed to bear offspring,” and a belief that the Griswold v. Connecticut case, which guaranteed the right to access contraception, represents the use of “activist courts to subvert the will of the people.” Continue reading “Women’s Health Leaders Join Keith Ellison to Condemn Wardlow’s Derogatory Comments and Anti-Choice Agenda for the Attorney General’s Office”

Doug Wardlow Must Answer Whether He Violated Judicial Ethics Standards by Authoring Extreme, Far-Right Blog

Reports that Wardlow broke nonpartisan judicial ethics standards must be answered, especially in light of his plans for a ‘partisan purge’ of the AG’s office

The blog Wardlow allegedly authored details extreme far-right views on reproductive rights, the death penalty for children, and voting rights

MINNESOTA – Today, a news report detailed the extensive evidence suggesting Republican Attorney General candidate Doug Wardlow authored an extreme, far-right blog in violation of judicial ethics standards during his time as a clerk for the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Such a flagrant disregard for neutrality under the law would be extremely concerning for the state’s top attorney, especially given Wardlow’s pledge for a partisan purge in the office, and his longstanding history of discrimination.

The following is a statement from Sam Fettig, Communications Director for Keith Ellison for Attorney General.

“Doug Wardlow has refused to tell Minnesotans his true plans for the Attorney General’s Office, and now refuses to answer whether he violated judicial ethics standards by authoring a far-right blog while serving as nonpartisan staff to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The author of this blog advocates for allowing the death penalty for children, against a woman’s right to choose, and against voting rights. Minnesotans must know if this is what Doug Wardlow truly believes.”

Doug Wardlow on Separation of Church and State

Anyone concerned about this issue should be award of Mr. Wardlow’s statement earlier this year in radio interview on the Justice and Drew program:

HOST: “The separation of church and state, which isn’t a real concept.

WARDLOW: “No, it’s not. No, it’s just something Jefferson put in a letter. It’s not really a real concept at all.”

Here’s a link to the actual audio (note the laughter about this being a legitimate concept to avoid having this country fall into a theocracy).

Doug Wardlow, is this your extremely conservative blog from 2004?

Lindsay Carlson, who currently works as an attorney with the Bowman and Brooke law firm in Los Angeles, has known Minnesota Attorney General candidate Doug Wardlow for 25 years.

She says it was in 2004 when Wardlow was working on a conservative blog. That blog — The Rostra: Conservative Commentary and Political Philosophy — is still online (therostra.blogspot.com).

Clerks are warned the moment they start the job they are not to engage in partisan or political discourse. Wardlow’s blog was anonymous; the writer called himself “Marius.”

View the complete October 25 article by Hannah Jones on the CityPages website here.

If you don’t have time to read the full article, here are some of the content CityPages found:

  • There was the post in June of 2004, in which he dismissed pro-choice arguments that women shouldn’t be “saddled unequally vis-a-vis men with the risks involved with sexual intercourse” and forced to bring an unwanted pregnancy to term.
  • He said “limiting the amount of money an individual may spend” on a political campaign would be like “limiting the speeches of those born eloquent.
  • Later, he said “activist courts” are cudgels with which “liberal social values” are forced on society. He cited cases on same-sex marriage, gay sex, and Roe v. Wade as examples.