Letitia James' Tumultuous Week

New York Attorney General Letitia James has experienced a particularly busy few days, during which the prosecutor has seen highs and lows in office.

James, who is now best known for her civil fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump, where the former president was eventually ordered to pay $355 million plus interest, has enjoyed further success over the past week in office as part of a joint fraud investigation with the Department of Justice.

The prosecutor has also been hit with a lawsuit from multiple anti-abortion groups, as well as filing her own suit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

James' chaotic week started on Tuesday, when a lawsuit was filed against her over her attempts to stop pregnancy help organizations from providing "persistent misleading statements" about so-called abortion pill reversal (APR) methods.

The coalition of anti-abortion groups accused James of violating their First Amendment rights after she sent letters to multiple "Notice of Intention to Sue" letters to multiple pregnancy centers for pushing the controversial technique. APR has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also saying claims the technique works is "not based on science."

An APR procedure involves a woman who has changed their mind about aborting a pregnancy taking progesterone to offset the effects of mifepristone, a drug that is used to end a pregnancy.

"New York State laws protect abortionists and abortion on demand up until birth. Now they are targeting those who assist a woman in exercising her right to continue her own pregnancy," Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International, one of several anti-abortion groups named as plaintiffs in the suit, said in a statement.

"It is unconscionable to see the abortion industry and its paid-for politicians go so far as to insist she complete an abortion she no longer wants."

Newsweek reached out to James' office via email for comment.

Elsewhere, James announced on Wednesday that she is filing a new lawsuit against the NCAA for allegedly imposing "unfair" restrictions on student athletes' careers.

In a statement, James' office said it is joining a violation of groups in challenging the NCAA's restrictions on prospective student athletes' ability to earn money and benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

James claims current NCAA rules prevent student athletes from reviewing NIL compensation offers before enrolling in a school, therefore "restricting students from fully understanding the options available to them" before making a decision.

"New York student athletes are some of the best in the country, and they should be able to make decisions about their athletic career without restrictions," James said.

"The NCAA's NIL rule limits college athletes' potential and restricts competition among universities – that's not fair game. Student athletes should be able to call the shots on their career fairly and evenly. I am proud to join this lawsuit to continue fighting for fair treatment of student athletes."

An NCAA spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement: " Turning upside down rules overwhelmingly supported by member schools will aggravate an already chaotic collegiate environment, further diminishing protections for student-athletes from exploitation.

"The NCAA fully supports student-athletes making money from their name, image and likeness and is making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but an endless patchwork of state laws and court opinions make clear partnering with Congress is necessary to provide stability for the future of all college athletes."

Also on Wednesday, James and the DOJ announced that nearly $6.3 million in restitution has been collected and distributed to the victims of two men who were jailed for stealing $11.8 million from the estates of three deceased sisters.

Richard Sherwood and Thomas Lagan were convicted for using their positions of attorneys and trustees of three elderly sisters' estates to steal millions of dollars from them which were intended to be donated to charitable causes.

In December 2019, Sherwood was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and a maximum of nine years in state prison. Lagan was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and between four and 12 years in state prison.

In a joint statement, James and the DOJ announced they had recovered $6.3 million in restitution, which has been delivered to the victims of Sheerwood's and Lagan's crimes, which include churches, Ukrainian-American civic organizations, a local hospital, and a local university scholarship fund.

"New Yorkers should be able to trust that their financial advisors and attorneys are looking out for their best interests—not stealing their hard-earned money," James said.

"Sherwood and Lagan defrauded a well-meaning family, and in the process, cheated local nonprofit organizations out of funds intended to support their missions."

The United States Attorney's Office's Asset Recovery Unit is still working to recover the remainder of $5.5 million in restitution.