The Justice Department is raking in some decent cash from violators.
Under two multistate settlements reached just last week, Dannon agreed to pay $21 million, and DirecTV must pay about $13.25 million, both for deceptive advertising. Wisconsin’s share of the Dannon case is $861,000, and $185,000 from the DirecTV settlement.
So, what happens to that money? “It’s not uncommon that Wisconsin receive settlement dollars through multistate actions like this. The settlement in this case allows for the attorney general to allocate those funds at his discretion.” Assistant Attorney General Lara Sutherlin handled the Dannon case for the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Sutherlin says she doesn’t know specifically how money from the Dannon settlement will be spent, but points to investigative costs and attorneys fees that could be offset by some of the money. “It settlements past it’s been used for things to further law enforcement principles here at the Department of Justice.”
It depends on the case. Just last month, an agreement was reached with several states, the federal government and pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. The drug maker has to pay $750 million to settle allegations of selling adulterated drugs. Wisconsin’s $2.1 million share was to be returned to the state Medicaid program.