“I am pleased that the Ohio Supreme Court accepted our appeal and will clarify the rights of Ohio’s gun owners. The current uncertainty over the legitimacy of these municipal firearms ordinances creates confusion for our local officials, as well as for thousands of gun owners,” said Cordray.

The pro bono advice clinic, hosted by the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, will provide guidance to consumers who are sued by creditors. Offered on the third Tuesday of every month, the clinic will offer advice and counsel for those trying to navigate the legal system and give consumers the opportunity to meet with an attorney one on one.

Last November, Attorney General Cordray filed suit against these national rating agencies for wreaking havoc on U.S. financial markets by providing unjustified and inflated ratings of mortgage-backed securities in exchange for lucrative fees from securities issuers.

The summit, attended by nearly 300 consumer advocates and activists from across the state, focused on promoting fair dealing in the marketplace and protecting consumers in challenging economic times.

More than $2.8 million will be made available as a result of a settlement of a 2007 lawsuit between the Federal Trade Commission and seven states with Florida-based payment processing companies Your Money Access and YMA Company, owned by Tarzenea Dixon. The lawsuit accused Dixon and several co-defendants of knowingly processing unauthorized debits through Wachovia Bank on behalf of deceptive telemarketers and Internet schemes that violated the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule.

“Ohio’s hourly workers are struggling to make ends meet in these tough financial times. Our small businesses are fighting to survive and must have a level playing field in the marketplace. The Ohio Supreme Court has concluded that employers who fail to pay prevailing wage as required on public improvement projects in Ohio must pay the penalties outlined in our state law. This decision underscores the importance of prevailing-wage laws to construction workers across Ohio and will assist the efforts of the state to continue to protect the wages of these hard-working Ohioans.”

“Some unscrupulous companies take advantage of consumers’ desires to get a good deal on travel,” Attorney General Cordray said. “They offer ‘free’ vacations, cheap flights and other perks, but when consumers try to cash in, the companies invalidate the offers or simply stop responding. It is important to watch out for these deceptive bait-and-switch tactics.”

In 2009 the total number of handgun licenses issued to Ohioans was 56,691, well above the previous high of 45,497, set in 2004 when the concealed handgun law first went into effect.

In the letter, Cordray draws a comparison between the Wall Street bailout and the lack of federal assistance for foreclosure-riddled Main Street. 

Last September, Attorney General Cordray, in concert with five public pension funds, filed a shareholder class action lawsuit alleging securities violations based on many of the same alleged facts at issue in this enforcement action brought by the SEC.  The suit filed by Cordray and other public pension funds is pending before a different judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The indictment alleges that Hutchinson fatally shot 43-year-old Carl Smallwood of Greenup, Ky., with a rifle. The shooting occurred outside Hutchinson’s home in Portsmouth.