Press Releases
11/20/2017
AG Jepsen Announces New Head of Privacy & Data Security Department
Attorney General George Jepsen today announced that he has named Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Pearlman as head of his office's Privacy and Data Security Department.
Pearlman succeeds former Assistant Attorney General Matthew Fitzsimmons, who recently left the Office of the Attorney General for a position in the private sector. As department head, Pearlman will oversee all investigations, multistate work and litigation within the office involving data privacy and security matters, including new and pending data breach investigations.
"We are grateful to Matt Fitzsimmons for his many years of service to the state of Connecticut and the leadership he brought to the very important privacy enforcement work of state attorneys general," said Attorney General Jepsen. "In his more than a decade of service to the Office of the Attorney General, Jeremy Pearlman has distinguished himself with his thoughtfulness, his excellent judgment and his superb ability to manage complex legal matters. Connecticut is a national leader in investigating data breaches and other privacy issues, and I have every confidence that Jeremy's extensive experience will serve our office and the state well as the leader of our privacy enforcement efforts.
In 2011, Attorney General Jepsen appointed a multidisciplinary Privacy Task Force to educate the public about data protection and to focus the office's response to Internet privacy concerns and data breaches that affect consumers. In 2015, Attorney General Jepsen formed the Privacy and Data Security Department as a permanent, stand-alone department within the office with staff dedicated to working on privacy-related matters. Fitzsimmons had previously led both the task force and the department since their inception.
"State attorneys general play an important role in investigating consumer privacy issues, enforcing privacy laws and advocating for policies that protect consumers and their personal information," said Pearlman. "I'm excited to take on this new, challenging role."
Pearlman joined the Office of the Attorney General in 2003 after starting his career as a litigator in Boston and was first assigned to the office's Consumer Protection Department. He joined the office's Antitrust and Government Program Fraud Department in 2013, where he managed significant False Claims Act investigations and was part of the team leading the landmark national effort against Standard & Poor's and Moody's for their conduct leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.
In 2015, Pearlman rejoined the Consumer Protection Department, where he led the office's investigation into crumbling concrete foundations in northeastern Connecticut, co-led the Wells Fargo multistate investigation and is currently leading the office's efforts in the multistate investigation of prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors. He is an expert and regular speaker and instructor on the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA), the statute at the core of the attorney general's privacy enforcement authority.
Pearlman and his family live in Simsbury. He graduated from Boston College in 1996 and earned his juris doctorate from Boston College Law School in 2000.
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