Attorney General Investigations

Treat a CID as a serious exercise of government power, not an accusation or lawsuit, and act fast — responses are generally due in under 30 days. Immediately preserve all potentially responsive documents (disable any automatic deletion) and retain counsel experienced with the Texas AG, who can seek an extension of the return date, confirm the CID meets the statute's requirements, and engage the AG to narrow the request. Going straight to court to shut down the investigation is rarely the right move; early, cooperative engagement paired with concrete, well-grounded objections is more effective, because courts hear targeted discovery objections but not broad challenges to the investigation itself.

Yes. CIDs can be negotiated — counsel may work with the AG to narrow the classes of documents requested or shorten the time period covered, and can raise objections or file a petition to modify or set the CID aside (generally before the return date or within 20 days of service). The scope of an antitrust CID is limited to material that would be discoverable under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, giving a basis to resist overbroad requests. Push-back must take the form of concrete, well-grounded objections rather than a blanket refusal, since courts hear targeted objections but reject broad challenges to the investigation itself.

Noncompliance carries stiff penalties. Beyond a motion to compel, ignoring an AG demand can bring misdemeanor charges, and failing to comply with a Request to Examine your books and records can even mean forfeiture of your right to do business in Texas. If the demand is overbroad, the answer is not silence — it's a timely petition to modify or set aside the demand, or negotiated narrowing through counsel, before the return date. Cooperation paired with well-grounded objections almost always beats stonewalling, because the AG's office remembers which is which when deciding how hard to press.