Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton highlights major legal victories and enforcement actions during the first half of 2026
Austin, Texas – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is pointing to a wide range of legal victories and enforcement actions as part of what his office describes as an ongoing effort to protect Texans, combat fraud, defend state laws, and pursue companies and organizations accused of violating state law.
According to a summary released by the Attorney General’s Office, Paxton has spent 2026 pursuing investigations, settlements, and lawsuits involving healthcare, consumer protection, environmental concerns, border security, online safety, and parental rights. The office says these efforts build on legal actions taken throughout his time as Texas attorney general.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that many of this year’s actions were aimed at improving public health and protecting Texas consumers.
Among the initiatives highlighted was a settlement with grocery store chains over the handling of organic produce. The agreement requires stores to stop secretly misting synthetic pesticides on organic products. Paxton’s office also announced an agreement with the maker of Crest toothpaste intended to protect children from excessive fluoride exposure.
The office said it also launched investigations into the meatpacking industry alongside the Trump Department of Justice with the stated goal of protecting Texas cattle ranchers and helping reduce grocery prices. Another investigation focuses on companies, including Bayer, over alleged glyphosate contamination in food products.
The attorney general also emphasized his office’s continued work addressing the opioid crisis. According to the announcement, Texas has now recovered more than $3 billion through settlements involving pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, and other companies. That total includes a $286.5 million settlement involving Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family.
Additional investigations announced this year include an inquiry into Lululemon regarding the possible presence of toxic chemicals in clothing. Paxton also filed lawsuits against a chemical manufacturer in Freeport over alleged releases of chlorine and other hazardous substances and against a container company blamed for a chemical fire that contaminated West Texas communities.
The Attorney General’s Office also highlighted legal actions involving alleged illegal sewage dumping into Cedar Creek and the Neches River Basin System. Officials further noted that in late 2025 Paxton secured an injunction against an electric company accused of causing the Smokehouse Creek Fire, a wildfire that resulted in three deaths and more than $1 billion in damages.
Other enforcement actions mentioned include lawsuits against retailers selling kratom products allegedly containing nearly 50 times the legal amount of a potentially dangerous alkaloid, litigation involving a cord blood registry accused of misleading new parents, and a lawsuit against Shein alleging the sale of toxic clothing and children’s products.
Focus on children, healthcare, fraud and public safety
The Attorney General’s Office also highlighted several legal actions involving children and families.
Among them was a lawsuit against Discord alleging the company deceived parents about platform safety and failed to adequately protect children from online predators. Paxton also pointed to a settlement involving Texas Children’s Hospital that created what the office described as the nation’s first detransition clinic while recovering $10 million for the state. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the agreement followed allegations involving the medical treatment of minors.
Other lawsuits targeted Netflix over alleged collection of children’s data without authorization, Snapchat over claims involving deceptive practices and harmful platform features, and Lorex over alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Paxton’s office also issued a legal opinion concluding that mental health providers cannot legally transition children under Texas law. The attorney general further pursued litigation involving chest binders marketed to Texas girls and launched an investigation into financial incentives connected to childhood vaccine recommendations.
The attorney general also emphasized efforts involving public policy and border enforcement.
His office defended Senate Bill 4, which authorizes Texas law enforcement officers to arrest individuals suspected of illegally entering or reentering the state and permits judges to order their return to the country from which they entered.
The office also secured a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the Texas Legislature’s congressional redistricting map to remain in place for the 2026 midterm elections.
Additional actions cited include lawsuits against Austin ISD and the City of Denton involving restroom access policies, efforts to stop San Antonio from using taxpayer money to fund out-of-state abortion-related travel, and an earlier lawsuit against the City of Austin involving similar allegations.
Paxton’s office also highlighted healthcare fraud enforcement, saying more than 120 people were arrested over the past year while more than $125 million was recovered from healthcare fraud investigations. Since 2020, according to the Attorney General’s Office, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has recovered more than $1 billion through settlements, judgments, and restitution.
The attorney general further noted lawsuits involving pharmaceutical companies Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer, as well as major privacy settlements with Meta totaling $1.4 billion and Google totaling $1.375 billion.
The office also referenced successful legal efforts requiring age verification on pornography websites, defending women’s sports, pursuing consumer fraud cases involving solar companies and veterans’ benefits, challenging tax increases by more than 1,000 Texas cities, participating in a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general supporting criminal justice reform, helping shut down Backpage.com, filing a U.S. Supreme Court brief involving race-based admissions, challenging federal abortion policies, and investigating Planned Parenthood following the release of undercover videos.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, these actions reflect a continued strategy of using litigation, settlements, and investigations to address issues ranging from consumer protection and healthcare fraud to public safety, privacy, and state policy priorities.
