Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has emphasized the range of consumer protection resources provided by her office as National Consumer Protection Week concludes. The Department of Attorney General works to support Michigan residents through mediation of complaints, advocacy for stronger protections, and efforts to hold violators accountable.
“I am incredibly proud of the work my office does every day on behalf of Michigan residents and business owners,” said Attorney General Nessel. “We remain committed to holding bad actors accountable and providing the tools consumers need to protect themselves.”
The Consumer Protection Team reviews all complaints received via online forms or phone calls. Many complaints are resolved through mediation, while others prompt investigations, lawsuits, or help identify scams. As scams evolve, the Department issues alerts to inform residents about new schemes. A dedicated consumer protection website offers a searchable library of alerts and resources. The Department also maintains a social media account, Michigan Consumer Protection (@MIConsumerWatch), on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn to provide scam alerts and updates.
Attorney General Nessel regularly visits community centers and senior care facilities to share information about these resources with vulnerable populations. She also co-hosts a podcast called Pantsuits and Lawsuits with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to explain legal topics in an accessible way.
Since taking office in 2019 as Michigan’s 54th attorney general according to the official website (https://www.michigan.gov/ag), Nessel has prioritized addressing the opioid epidemic. Her office has secured over $1.8 billion in settlements from pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue Pharma, McKinsey & Co., Cardinal Health, McKesson Inc., AmerisourceBergen, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical, Allergan Pharmaceutical, CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens. These funds are distributed across state and local governments for opioid-use disorder treatment.
To promote transparency regarding these settlements, the Attorney General’s office launched a webpage that provides information on opioid settlement distributions. This resource includes a payment estimator searchable by settlement type, municipality, and year.
Nessel has also advocated for utility customers by scrutinizing major rate cases before the Michigan Public Service Commission. Since 2019, these efforts have helped secure more than $4.1 billion in savings for customers. A dedicated webpage details the Department’s interventions in utility cases for ratepayers’ benefit.
The Department participates in national efforts against fraud as part of the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force since August 2022 and supports multistate initiatives targeting unwanted automated calls. The Michigan Identity Theft Support System assists residents whose identities have been stolen; there is also a program supporting small businesses facing similar challenges.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General operates statewide with authority to safeguard residents through various public service initiatives (https://www.michigan.gov/ag). Its activities include advancing social efforts against human trafficking and supporting vulnerable groups (https://www.michigan.gov/ag). The Department has also contributed to policy changes such as drafting the Clean Slate law in 2019 for expungement opportunities (https://www.michigan.gov/ag).
Residents can file complaints or seek further information by contacting the Consumer Protection Team via mail at P.O. Box 30213 Lansing MI 48909; phone at 517-335-7599 or toll-free at 877-765-8388; fax at 517-241-3771; or through an online complaint form.
