What we accomplished in Arizona
Joseph Kanefield
Video Embed
All good things must come to an end, including productive tenures for public servants. As Arizona prepares to transition to new administrations in the governor’s, attorney general’s, and secretary of state’s offices, we would be remiss in not capturing this consequential moment in our state’s history, looking back at all we accomplished on behalf of hardworking taxpayers and for the rule of law.
It’s been a fun run for me at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, serving Attorney General Mark Brnovich and the people of Arizona as his chief deputy and chief of staff. We are capping off our eight years with some historic settlements and huge wins thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our office’s employees.
JUDGE REJECTS KARI LAKE’S BID TO UNDO ELECTION LOSS, CONFIRMS HOBBS VICTORY
One of our big highlights this fiscal year was when we received the Consumers’ Champion Award for the first-in-the-nation settlement with Ticketmaster, which returned more than $71 million in refunds for consumers who purchased tickets to Arizona live events affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Perhaps no victory was more important than our monumental $85 million settlement with Google for deceptively obtaining users’ location data to make billions of dollars in profit. This concluded one of the biggest consumer fraud lawsuits in Arizona history, and the settlement represents the largest amount per capita the internet giant has paid in a privacy and consumer fraud lawsuit of this kind.
The crisis at the southern border continues to get worse, and cities around the nation are beginning to suffer the same consequences that Arizonans have directly experienced for longer. The increase in illegal drugs being smuggled over the border in the past two years means opioid use, addiction, and deaths are on the rise, and our office is dedicated to trying to put a stop to it. We led several lawsuits pertaining to this, attempting to hold the Biden administration accountable to the rule of law and using all the tools in our toolbox to protect Arizona families and communities. This year, we will issue at least $16 million in grants to community organizations and government agencies to help them combat the impact.
Also on the opioid front, we secured consent judgments finalizing two historic multistate settlements totaling $26 billion with four pharmaceutical companies for their roles in the opioid crisis. That’s in addition to the previous $573 million multistate settlement with McKinsey & Company and more than $11 million resulting from the case against Chandler-based opioid manufacturer Insys Therapeutics. We recognize the drug epidemic that is plaguing Arizona families and have done everything within our power to shield unsuspecting men, women, and children from these terrible harms.
Our office is leaving a positive mark on the state of Arizona, and I believe that history will judge us accordingly. We took our jobs and responsibilities with the utmost seriousness that these incredibly complex and uncertain times demanded. I’m incredibly thankful for all the hard work of so many around us. It was an honor and a privilege to serve and to leave this office and our state in a better place than when we found it.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Joseph Kanefield served as chief deputy at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Previously he was general counsel to former Gov. Jan Brewer (R).