The Massachusetts Attorney General is the state’s chief legal officer, and the office enforces laws covering consumer fraud, unpaid wages, civil rights, environmental harm, healthcare costs, charitable organizations, and certain complex crimes. Andrea Joy Campbell currently leads the office. If you want a short answer to what the Massachusetts Attorney General does: she represents the Commonwealth in court, sues businesses and individuals who break state law, defends state laws when they are challenged, and oversees programs that take complaints directly from the public.
The authority comes from Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 12. Section 3 requires the Attorney General to appear for the Commonwealth and its agencies in all civil suits and proceedings in any Massachusetts court where the state is a party or has an interest.1Justia. Massachusetts Code Chapter 12 Section 3 – Appearances for Commonwealth, Prosecution or Defense; Rendering of Legal Services That mandate is deliberately broad. The office can file suit, intervene in existing cases, negotiate settlements, issue legal opinions that guide other state agencies, and propose legislation. Its jurisdiction is statewide, and it regularly coordinates with local district attorneys on criminal matters and with federal agencies on cases that cross state lines.
Consumer Protection
This is where most residents actually encounter the office. The main statute is Chapter 93A, which prohibits unfair or deceptive business practices. When the AG believes a business is violating the law, Section 4 lets the office go to court for an order stopping the conduct and recovering money for people who were harmed.2General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A Section 4 – Actions by Attorney General; Notice; Venue; Injunctions Courts can impose civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each knowing or willful violation, which adds up quickly when a company has thousands of customers.
If a business has shortchanged or deceived you, the Consumer Advocacy and Response Division takes complaints online, by mail, or in person at any office location. Complaints enter a public database and can trigger an investigation when the office sees a pattern.3Mass.gov. File a Consumer Complaint The office will not represent you personally in your dispute. What it will do is use the complaints it receives to identify companies worth investigating, and a volume of similar reports is often what launches a formal enforcement action.
The office has used Chapter 93A against some of the largest companies in the country, including a well-known investigation of Facebook over third-party app access to Massachusetts users’ personal data. When Facebook resisted producing documents, the Supreme Judicial Court largely sided with the AG on compelling disclosure.4Justia. Attorney General v. Facebook, Inc.
Wage and Labor Enforcement
The Fair Labor Division is the primary enforcer of wage and hour laws in Massachusetts, including the prevailing wage and child labor statutes. Workers can file complaints directly with the office.5Mass.gov. Complaints and Enforcement
The damages structure gives Massachusetts enforcement real force. Under Chapter 149, Section 150, an employee who wins a wage claim is automatically entitled to three times the lost wages as liquidated damages, plus attorneys’ fees and court costs. It is not discretionary. The treble damages rule applies to wage violations occurring after July 12, 2008, so an employer who withholds $5,000 in overtime can end up owing $15,000 plus legal fees. That mandatory multiplier gives the office leverage in negotiating settlements, because any defendant knows what trial exposure looks like.
The division also pursues worker misclassification, where businesses label employees as independent contractors to avoid overtime, benefits, and unemployment contributions. Enforcement actions have hit construction firms and gig economy platforms, among others. If you suspect you have been misclassified, the complaint process is the same as for unpaid wages.
Civil Rights
The Civil Rights Division enforces state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and it has a statutory tool most states lack. Chapter 12, Section 11H lets the AG bring a civil lawsuit whenever someone’s constitutional rights are violated through threats, intimidation, or coercion.6General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 12 Section 11H – Violations of Constitutional Rights; Civil Actions by Attorney General; Right to Bias-Free Professional Policing If the AG wins, the court can order compensatory damages for the victim, litigation costs, and civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
Section 11H also carries a bias-free policing provision. If an officer’s conduct results in decertification by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, that conduct is treated as a presumptive violation of the person’s right to bias-free policing, and the AG can sue on the victim’s behalf. Officers found liable cannot claim immunity from civil liability.
In practice, the division handles housing discrimination, hate crimes, disability access, and voting rights, among other issues, and runs policy work aimed at systemic change in addition to individual cases.
Environmental Enforcement
The Environmental Protection Division sues companies and individuals for violating environmental regulations. The office has a national profile on climate litigation stretching back to Massachusetts v. EPA, the 2007 Supreme Court case in which Massachusetts successfully argued the EPA has Clean Air Act authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. More recently, the office has challenged federal rollbacks of emissions standards and the EPA’s endangerment finding.7Mass.gov. AG Campbell Condemns Illegal Repeal of EPA’s Landmark 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding The division also handles pollution cases and hazardous waste cleanups, often coordinating with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA. Cases can produce both civil penalties and court orders requiring remediation.
Which Crimes the AG Prosecutes
Local district attorneys handle most criminal cases in Massachusetts. The AG’s Criminal Bureau focuses on specific categories, generally the ones that are complex, cross jurisdictions, or involve public institutions. The White Collar and Public Integrity Division investigates and prosecutes public corruption, financial fraud, and insurance fraud.8Mass.gov. Learn About the Attorney General’s Criminal Bureau Other divisions within the Bureau go after criminal enterprises involved in narcotics trafficking and extortion, enforce the Expanded Gaming Act of 2011 alongside the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, and defend AG-secured convictions on appeal.
The Bureau also runs a Victim Witness Services program for people affected by crimes the AG’s office prosecutes.
Healthcare Oversight
The Health Care and Fair Competition Bureau enforces healthcare laws aimed at protecting consumers and polices unfair practices in the industry. The Health Care Division studies cost trends and the factors driving them, which gives the office a role in the state’s broader effort to contain medical costs.9Mass.gov. Learn About the Attorney General’s Health Care and Fair Competition Bureau
The bureau also reviews proposed hospital and large practice group mergers. The office evaluates whether a transaction could reduce competition, narrow patient choice, or raise costs, and it can use antitrust authority to challenge deals that threaten to harm consumers. Massachusetts has been among the more active states in scrutinizing healthcare consolidation.
Charities and Nonprofits
A function many people don’t know about: the AG oversees public charities. Chapter 12, Section 8 directs the office to make sure charitable funds are used properly and to prevent breaches of trust in how charities operate. The Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division oversees more than 25,000 charities registered in Massachusetts.10Mass.gov. The Attorney General’s Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division
If you run a nonprofit, you file through the Division’s online Charity Portal. Paper filings are no longer accepted. As of late 2024, organizations with more than $500,000 in revenue must file a CPA’s review report, and those with more than $1,000,000 must file audited financial statements. Reports are published for donors to look up. Starting January 1, 2026, professional fundraisers must file through a separate Fundraiser Portal. Missing these filings can trigger enforcement action.
Multistate Cases and the Opioid Settlements
Some of the office’s largest results come from joining other state attorneys general in coordinated actions against national defendants. The opioid litigation is the clearest example. A $26 billion resolution with major distributors and Johnson & Johnson sent more than $500 million to Massachusetts and its cities and towns for prevention, treatment, and recovery. Later settlements with Walmart, Teva, Allergan, CVS, and Walgreens added hundreds of millions more.11Mass.gov. Learn About the AG’s Statewide Opioid Settlements With Opioid Industry Defendants Those funds are dedicated to the opioid response at the local level rather than flowing into the general state budget. The office also joins multistate coalitions on consumer protection, antitrust, and environmental cases, including challenges to federal environmental rollbacks.
How to Reach the Office or File a Complaint
Consumer complaints go through the Consumer Advocacy and Response Division, which accepts them online, by mail at One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02108, or in person at any office location. A consumer hotline is available if you want to speak with someone first.3Mass.gov. File a Consumer Complaint
Workplace complaints about unpaid wages, misclassification, or other labor violations go through a separate process run by the Fair Labor Division.5Mass.gov. Complaints and Enforcement Filing a complaint does not guarantee the office will take your case. The AG prioritizes matters affecting large numbers of people or involving systematic violations. Individual complaints still matter, because they are often what reveals the pattern worth investigating.