B&D Principal Roy Prather (Baltimore) spoke with Trellis about the Florida Attorney General’s (AG) recent efforts to investigate nonprofit climate disclosure organizations, as detailed in “Florida Attorney General Subpoenas CDP and SBTi,” published July 26, 2025.

In a July 28 statement announcing the investigations, the AG’s office alleges the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and CDP violated antitrust law by “selling services to obtain better scores and public endorsements” and “creating incentives for corporations to pay in exchange for favorable treatment.” The AG also accuses SBTi of “sell[ing] companies validation of their climate goals — then directs them back to CDP to report their progress, creating what appears to be a profit-driven feedback loop.” 

Roy said that the AG’s approach “differs from previous investigations in that it casts a notably wide net.” He explained that these actions are “a targeted campaign to gather as much information as possible and figure out other targets,” adding that it’s not unreasonable to suspect that any information gathered from these investigations would help the AG target other companies, particularly financial institutions.

Beveridge & Diamond’s Environmental Crimes, White Collar lawyers counsel firm clients on high-stakes enforcement and compliance matters, particularly in complex environmental investigations. Our Environmental Crimes, White Collar team works closely with the firm’s Audits, Risk and Compliance Assessments practice group, and environmental subject matter practice groups to counsel companies on compliance management system design, assess and evaluate compliance risks, and prepare policies, procedures, and controls to manage and mitigate those risks. Coupled with our ESG and Climate Change practices, we help clients navigate complex and interrelated legal and reputational issues in the fast-moving area of sustainability and offer significant capabilities helping clients understand and incorporate emerging GHG legal and regulatory requirements across enterprises