Legally Speaking

Intense—immersive—realistic. VirTra training can put you into dicey situations that result in lethal force, or not. The Utah Attorney General’s Office is proud to employ VIRTRA training. It is realistic training with situations police officers face daily, which are not easy. It’s an exciting tool that uses giant screens, intense surround sound, and a real-but-disabled handg

Poisoning a best friend and roommate. This podcast is a case study in the prosecution of a woman charged with poisoning her roommate in Millcreek, Utah. In 2019, the Utah Attorney General’s office worked with federal authorities to convict Janie Lynn Ridd of abuse and possession of a biological agent. Charges state that Ridd purchased a Staphylococcus strain and gave it to her ro

In November 2023, Utah filed a lawsuit against insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo, Nordisk, and Sanofi, as well as pharmacy benefits managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum RX. The lawsuit claims that the companies charge too much for insulin due to their pricing scheme. Since filing, consumers have contacted our office and shared personal stories of their sacrifices t

Whenever a meeting involves the public’s business—whether it’s a city council, the legislature or any branch of state or local government—that meeting is subject to the Open and Public Meetings Act (OPMA). These days, there are many meetings in our state, and controversial issues are often discussed. The Utah Attorney General's Office is one of the entities authorized to fi

Child abductions and missing children, when they happen, are devastating to a family, and in fact to entire communities. A kidnapped or missing child is often cited as a parent’s worst nightmare. Although they’re relatively rare, a fast response is essential. Fortunately, law enforcement has crafted a response with the Utah Child Abduction Response Team or CART. In the Utah Att

The Utah Attorney General’s Office has an office dedicated to protecting the integrity of the Medicaid program. Working with federal agents, we take on fraud, waste, or abuse of the system. It’s called the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit—or MFCU. Every state has a MFCU, but Utah received the 2023 Inspector General’s Award for Excellence, which is a huge feather in the cap of ev

This Legally Speaking episode examines one of the largest dark net drug trafficking cases in Utah. In 2019, Aaron Shamo was sentenced to life in prison under the Controlled Substance Act for running a massive Fentanyl and Xanax manufacturing and distribution scheme. A case of this magnitude is fascinating. In this interview, Assistant Attorney General Michael Gadd, who worked with

Is the AG’s Office Utah's law firm? One of the Constitutional functions of the Utah Attorney General’s office is to act as counsel for every state agency. In essence, the office is the state’s law firm. State Agency Counsel is one of the divisions comprising hundreds of attorneys at the AGO. Our office has attorneys who work exclusively for various state agencies as their att

In any given month, the Utah Attorney General's Office can join dozens of amici, also known as ‘friend of the court’ briefs, or sign the AG’s name to a persuasive letter that argues for or against a hot topic. Why does the office do this? The answer makes a lot of sense - Legally Speaking! In this episode, Deputy Solicitor General Christopher Bates explains why our office joi

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has observed a new form of evidence: Computer generated Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Artificial Intelligence (AI) is commonly used to generate illegal images of children in sexual situations, similar to animated CSAM images. Listen as Sete Aulai, our ICAC Commander, speaks out about this evolving trend. This is occurring at a t