The Charitable Trust Section functions for Michigan citizens as a repository of financial and other information about charities they may want to support. At any one time there are more than 8,000 charities registered with the Attorney General's Charitable Trust Section. Most charities soliciting contributions in Michigan are required to register with the Charitable Trust Section. One of the goals of the Attorney General is to help educate the public and to assist them in making wise choices about what charities to support.
The Great Lakes define Michigan’s borders, but they are so much more than that. The Great Lakes are the lifeblood of our state, boosting our economy and providing drinking water and adventure to so many. Their preservation is up to all of us, and we all have a responsibility to protect them.
Seniors and Health Care Fraud
The Michigan Attorney General has determined that a full and complete investigation of what happened within the Catholic Church is required. This investigation is and will continue to be independent, thorough, transparent, and prompt. My department and this investigation will find out who knew what, and when.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General utilizes the services of Special Assistant Attorneys General from time to time when the unique circumstances of a particular case create the need for specialized services not currently available within the department.
The Conviction Integrity Unit (the “CIU”) investigates claims of innocence to determine whether there is clear and convincing new evidence that the convicted defendant was not the person who committed the offense.
In Michigan, a victim is an individual who suffers direct or threatened physical, financial, or emotional harm as a result of the commission of a crime.
The Task Force launched in 2019 and consists of more than 55 different organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sectors - all working together to combat elder abuse.
The laws regarding expungement of criminal offenses in Michigan changed in major ways in April of 2021. This page is designed to help applicants navigate their way through the new laws, help them determine if they are eligible to have convictions expunged, to answer frequently asked questions about the new laws, and to provide links for resources and assistance.
In late 2018, Attorney General Dana Nessel was elected and upon taking office in 2019, she made decisions to put a conflict wall in place that allowed her to lead the civil litigation into the Flint Water Crisis. The Office of Special Counsel was no longer needed, and Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy were tapped to lead the criminal investigation.
To investigate and prosecute hate crimes by following up on every credible tip and offer departmental resources to assist local and federal law enforcement partners in this effort.
The Michigan Attorney General is leading the fight against this horrific crime by prosecuting the state's first-ever criminal cases under state law banning human trafficking in Michigan. Victims of human trafficking are in bondage through force, fraud or coercion, for the purpose of sex or labor exploitation.
Michigan Attorney General's robocall initiative is leading several efforts to protect Michigan residents from the billion plus robocalls made to them every year.
The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern. Consumer Alerts are not legal advice, legal authority, or a binding legal opinion from the Department of Attorney General.
The Open Meetings Act (OMA) took effect January 1, 1977. In enacting the OMA, the Legislature promoted a new era in governmental accountability and fostered openness in government to enhance responsible decision making.1 Nothing in the OMA prohibits a public body from adopting an ordinance, resolution, rule, or charter provision that requires a greater degree of openness relative to public body meetings than the standards provided for in the OMA. 2
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GRAND RAPIDS – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel continued her push for accountability against those who expose residents to hazardous materials and contaminate Michigan’s environment today by filing a lawsuit in Kent County Circuit Court against a company that left Michigan after contaminating multiple properties in West and Southwest Michigan with PFAS and other hazardous materials.
The lawsuit filed by the Attorney General, seeks compliance and damages from FKI Hardware, Inc., successor to the former Keeler Brass Company, to address its releases of hazardous substances into the environment. Those hazardous substances include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethylene (TCE), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and metals. The sites of known or suspected contamination include:
“Michigan residents deserve to be safe from environmental contamination in their communities,” said Nessel. “Companies that do business in Michigan, pull up stakes and leave their communities with contaminated air and water will pay the price. This lawsuit is another demonstration of my department’s commitment to do what is necessary to hold companies that polluted our environment accountable.”
The lawsuit seeks to require the company to properly investigate the risks posed by their contamination, which is in soil and groundwater. TCE may be present in some locations at concentrations that can cause harmful vapors to seep up into the air inside buildings above the contamination. These vapors can expose people breathing the indoor air to unacceptable health risks.
An imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment is known to exist at one site (the Godfrey Property) from TCE. The Attorney General and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) are concerned that fuller investigation and a complete effort to reduce health risks are necessary to protect workers and other occupants of buildings in the vicinity of these former Keeler or FKI Hardware properties.
EGLE has demanded compliance with state law regarding remediation at all nine sites, but FKI Hardware has not met its obligations.
“It is critical that companies take responsibility for contamination they caused and that they work with EGLE to achieve full compliance,” said Nessel. “The health of Michigan’s residents and Michigan’s environment are at stake.”
Both PFAS and TCE are widely acknowledged as being used in metal finishing—PFAS as a mist suppressant in the plating process and TCE as a degreasing agent for metal parts. PFAS does not break down easily and bioaccumulates in the human body, and exposure is associated with several negative health outcomes including pregnancy-induced hypertension, reduced fertility, high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, higher cholesterol, thyroid disease, liver damage, decreased immune system response to vaccines, and developing certain types of cancer, including kidney and testicular cancers. TCE studies indicate that even short-term exposures can have acute negative health effects. If a person who is pregnant is exposed to TCE at high enough levels the fetus is at risk of heart malformation. In addition to the risk posed over a short period of time, long-term exposure to TCE also puts the person exposed at risk of many serious health complications. TCE is classified as a carcinogen, affecting the liver and kidney, and poses risks of other adverse noncancer effects on the human central nervous system, the immune system, and the endocrine system.
More information about Nessel’s work on PFAS litigation can be found on the Attorney General's PFAS website.
Click here for a copy of the lawsuit filed by the Department of Attorney General.
AG Nessel joins bipartisan coalition of 35 AGs in amicus brief in support of Oklahoma’s laws, similar to Michigan’s regulating abusive behavior of PBMs.
Department of Attorney General 525 W. Ottawa St. Lansing, MI 48906 Phone: 517-335-7622