Office of the Attorney General and Reporter
Robert E. Cooper, Jr.

The state deadline for college financial aid is quickly approaching, and state officials are asking parents and students to beware of official-looking letters promising student financial aid information for a fee.

Attorney General Bob Cooper and Division of Consumer Affairs Director Mary Clement are urging Tennesseans to be wary of potential financial scams designed to steal personal information and/or cash. The alert is being issued because the state has learned that students and parents of university students have been receiving letters urging them to pay $50 or more to apply for financial aid. Tennesseans can get information free from the school’s financial aid office or online...read the full student financial aid press release.

Thousands of consumers in Tennessee and across the country are one step closer to obtaining potential refunds after buying electronic goods online from a computer seller and liquidator who according to a court ruling misrepresented its products.

A Davidson County Circuit Court judge sided with the State of Tennessee in a consumer protection case against Nashville-based Consumer Depot, LLC, and its owners and operators Martin Fike, Carol Fike, Michael Hinds, and related entity Auction Logistix, LLC ("Consumer Depot"). Consumers complained the company, located at 3332 Powell Ave., misled them about its products and that the company refused to resolve complaints or give refunds...read the full Consumer Depot press release.

Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper has filed suit against a Colombian cigarette manufacturer for failing to make required payments for the benefit of the State.

The lawsuit names Procesadora Nacional Cigarillera S.A. / Pronalci S.A. (“Pronalci”) a manufacturer located in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Pronalci is not a member of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and is therefore classified under the Tennessee Tobacco laws as a Non-Participating Manufacturer (NPM). As an NPM, Pronalci is required to make payments into an escrow account to cover potential claims for healthcare costs incurred by the State as a result of smoking in Tennessee...read the full cigarette lawsuit press release.