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CfA Calls on D.C. Bar to Investigate Former Attorney General William Barr’s Role in Murdoch Trust Scheme
Yesterday, CfA filed a complaint with the D.C. Bar’s Office Disciplinary Counsel (ODC), asking it to investigate former U.S. Attorney General William Barr for potential violations of the professional standards [ [link removed] ] that he is held to as a practicing lawyer. Reports indicate that in early December, Nevada Probate Court Commissioner Edmund Gorman ruled that Barr had “demonstrated a dishonesty of purpose and motive” while helping media billionaire Rupert Murdoch with a scheme to restructure his family trust [ [link removed] ], which can only be modified in good faith and to the benefit of all heirs. The 93-year-old Murdoch sought to consolidate the power of his eldest son, Lachlan, which meant appointing new voting members to the trust and calling a special meeting to approve the changes. After reviewing the case, Commissioner Gorman decided that Rupert and Lachlan had acted in bad faith and intentionally kept the other Murdoch children in the dark about their activities.
As a member of the D.C. Bar, Barr himself is held to professional standards that may conflict with Commissioner Gorman’s descriptions of his conduct. Namely, the D.C. Bar prohibits lawyers from making false statements to a tribunal, failing to correct false statements, and engaging in dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation—even when they are not actively serving as counsel. You can find CfA’s full complaint to the ODC, here [ [link removed] ].
CfA Sends New Letter to State Attorneys General Regarding Deceptive Crisis Pregnancy Centers
In April, CfA filed complaints [ [link removed] ] with the Attorneys General of Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, urging them to investigate non-medical crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) that appear to have made misleading statements about HIPAA protections. Later, journalist Jessica Valenti reported [ [link removed] ] that the personal health information of 13 women had been leaked online, following visits to a Louisiana-based CPC that made similar claims regarding HIPAA. Specifically, the facility provided clients with instructions for filing a complaint with HHS’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) if they felt their data has been misused.
Like the CPCs named in CfA’s complaints, this Louisiana clinic is an affiliate of Heartbeat International, an anti-abortion organization that supports CPCs across the country. Heartbeat also helps clinics collect women’s data using its client management software, Next Level CMS; thanks to that connection, a Heartbeat employee was able to access real women’s personal information while recording a training video for the software, which was later posted online. When CfA filed an HHS complaint on behalf of the women, the agency responded by clarifying [ [link removed] ] that it did not have jurisdiction over the Louisiana CPC, as HIPAA largely only applies to covered entities which handle insurance claims.
The business model employed by the Louisiana CPC appears indistinguishable from the CPCs featured in CfA’s original complaints [ [link removed] ]. In light of this development, CfA sent follow-up letters [ [link removed] ] to the relevant state attorneys general on Tuesday, highlighting HHS’s response and urging them to investigate whether the CPCs in their states had violated consumer protection laws.
UK Investigation Uncovers Online Roblox Casinos Targeting Children
This week, an investigation by Sky News [ [link removed] ] uncovered a network of illegal online casinos that target Roblox players—over 40% of whom are under 12 years old [ [link removed] ]. The websites allow players to log in with their Roblox credentials, so they can gamble in-game currency (Robux) on slots, blackjack, and other casino games. Any winnings from these games can be converted into cryptocurrency and eventually exchanged for cash. One child told SkyNews that he began placing bets with Robux when he was 14, after seeing an advertisement for a gambling site on social media; since then, he gambled the equivalent of £150,000 at online casinos.
While many of the Roblox gambling sites appear to have immediately shuttered after the investigation was published, “skin gambling [ [link removed] ]” platforms are still available for many other popular games. A review by Barrons found 73 gambling sites associated with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), while a quick search [ [link removed] ] of Meta’s ad library reveals hundreds of advertisements for CS:GO casinos and raffles. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell if these ads are viewed by minors in the United States, because Meta does not offer transparency into ad delivery.
What We’re Reading
The CDC Hasn’t Asked States to Track Deaths Linked to Abortion Bans [ [link removed] ]
House Panel Is Said to Have Voted to Release the Gaetz Report [ [link removed] ]
The president of the NCAA calls for a ban on 'prop bets' in college sports [ [link removed] ]
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