An attorney general letter is an official communication from a state or federal Attorney General’s office, and how you handle the first few days after it arrives usually matters more than anything you do later. Most of these letters fall into one of three categories: a forwarded consumer complaint asking for your side of the story, a formal legally enforceable demand for documents or testimony, or a scam impersonating a real office. Which one you have decides everything else.
Confirm the Letter Is Real Before You Do Anything
Scammers routinely impersonate government agencies, and AG offices are a common target. A genuine letter will never demand immediate payment by wire transfer, prepaid debit card, or gift card. It will never threaten you with arrest unless you pay on the spot. And no legitimate government office will tell you to keep the communication secret from your family or your attorney.
If anything feels off, look up the AG office’s phone number on its official website rather than calling any number printed in the letter. A quick call to the office listed on the letterhead confirms whether the communication is authentic. Fake letters sometimes attach phony “arrest warrants” or demand payment for debts you don’t recognize. Verify first, then respond.
Figure Out Which Kind of Letter You Received
Once you know the letter is genuine, read it carefully. The wording tells you what kind of response is required and how quickly.
Most letters come from a state AG’s office rather than the federal one. State attorneys general serve as their state’s chief legal officer, with responsibilities that include consumer protection, utility regulation, antitrust enforcement, and child support.1National Association of Attorneys General. What Attorneys General Do The U.S. Attorney General heads the Department of Justice and has authority to conduct or direct any legal proceeding, civil or criminal, that U.S. Attorneys are authorized to bring,2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 515 – Authority for Legal Proceedings but the federal office focuses on large-scale matters and most people will never hear from it directly.3U.S. Department of Justice. Office of the Attorney General
A Forwarded Consumer Complaint
The most common AG letter a business receives is a forwarded consumer complaint. A customer filed a grievance and the AG’s office is passing it along with a request for your side of the story. These letters usually ask for an explanation of what happened and any supporting documentation. They are not accusations of wrongdoing, and cooperating promptly is almost always in your interest. Businesses that respond thoughtfully to these inquiries often resolve the matter without further action.
Even so, stick to the facts. Provide a clear timeline of events, include relevant records like contracts or receipts, and explain what steps you have taken or are willing to take to resolve the issue. Avoid emotional language or personal attacks on the complainant. The staff reviewing your response needs to see what happened, not how you feel about the customer.
These forwarded complaints usually come out of the AG’s mediation process, where the office asks both sides to cooperate voluntarily.4National Association of Attorneys General. Consumer Protection 101 The response deadline varies by state but is typically stated in the letter in business days. If you need more time, ask before the deadline passes.
A Civil Investigative Demand or Subpoena
A Civil Investigative Demand or subpoena is a different animal. These are legally enforceable orders that compel you to produce documents, answer written questions, or provide testimony. A CID is the AG’s primary investigation tool before a lawsuit is filed, and it carries the same legal weight as a court order.
If you receive one, consult an attorney experienced in regulatory investigations immediately. Do not try to handle it yourself. Counsel can interpret the scope of what is being demanded, identify documents that may be protected by privilege, and negotiate the terms of your response. Most AG offices will grant reasonable extensions when the request comes through an attorney, but you have to ask before the deadline, not after.
Preserving Documents the Moment It Arrives
The instant you receive any formal demand, you have a legal obligation to preserve all documents that could be relevant. Suspend any routine document destruction, and issue a legal hold to everyone in your organization who might have relevant files, emails, or records. The duty to preserve begins as soon as you know or should know the material could be relevant to litigation or an investigation. Destroying documents after receiving an AG letter can result in severe sanctions, up to and including courts treating the destroyed evidence as if it proved the other side’s case.
Protecting Confidential Business Information
If the demand covers trade secrets, proprietary data, or other sensitive business information, you can request confidential treatment. Mark any confidential material clearly when you produce it and provide a written explanation of why the information deserves protection. Labeling everything “confidential” does not work; you need to explain the specific harm public disclosure would cause. Your attorney can also petition a court for a protective order if the standard confidentiality process isn’t enough.
What Ignoring an AG Letter Actually Costs
Ignoring a forwarded consumer complaint won’t land you in jail, but it tells the AG’s office you are not willing to cooperate, which makes further scrutiny more likely, not less. When the office sees a pattern of complaints against a business that refuses to engage, that business moves up the enforcement priority list.
Ignoring a CID or subpoena is far worse. The AG’s office can ask a court to hold you in contempt, which carries potential fines and, in extreme cases, imprisonment. Contempt proceedings come with the same procedural protections as criminal charges, including the right to counsel and the right to present a defense, but the penalties are real. Courts have broad discretion in fashioning punishment, and the most common outcome for someone who simply refused to comply is an order to produce the documents anyway plus an award of the AG office’s attorney fees for having to bring the contempt action.
Even if you believe a demand is overbroad or improper, the correct response is to work with your attorney to narrow the scope or challenge it through proper legal channels. Silence is not a strategy.
What the AG’s Office Will and Won’t Do
If your letter is a mediation notice about a complaint filed against you, understand what the office can actually accomplish. The AG generally shares the complaint with you, including the complainant’s identity, and asks for a written response within a set number of business days.4National Association of Attorneys General. Consumer Protection 101 The office is not the complainant’s personal lawyer and cannot guarantee any specific outcome. Its mission is identifying patterns of illegal activity and enforcing the law on behalf of the public. If mediation resolves the individual dispute, the file usually closes. If it doesn’t, the complaint stays on record and contributes to any future enforcement decision. Complaint records are typically treated as confidential by the AG’s office when no enforcement action results, rather than released publicly as unproven allegations.
State AG consumer protection divisions focus on unfair and deceptive business practices: misrepresented pricing, contractors who take payment and disappear, false advertising, and violations of consumer protection laws. Purely private contract disputes, employment grievances, and disputes with government agencies fall outside the office’s usual scope, so a letter you receive will almost always concern something the office believes fits within that consumer protection mandate.
If You’re the One Who Wants to Send a Complaint
If you arrived here because a business has wronged you and you want the AG involved, the same office runs a consumer complaint intake. Most state AG offices offer online complaint portals, and the National Association of Attorneys General maintains a directory linking to each state’s filing resources.5National Association of Attorneys General. Consumer File a Complaint Include the business’s full legal name and contact details, a chronological account of what happened with dates and amounts, copies (never originals) of contracts, receipts, and correspondence, and a clear statement of the resolution you want. Keep the narrative factual. Businesses that ignore a customer email often pay attention when the AG’s letterhead arrives, though the office cannot guarantee you any specific recovery.