Judge Bennett Rushkoff (Ret.)

Arbitrator and Mediator                                                               July 2025 – present
The Platt Group, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland

Member, Board of Governors, District of Columbia Bar                 July 2025 – present

District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings                  July 2016 – May 2025

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) serving on the District’s central panel of ALJs

• Specialized in public benefits cases, including cases involving Medicaid eligibility and coverage, food stamps, emergency shelter, and other programs.
• Served as the Principal ALJ for public benefits cases – Jan. 2019 to Jan. 2023.
• As Chair of the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) Rules Committee, drafted amendments to OAH’s Rules of Practice and Procedure.
• Mediated OAH cases (completed 40 hours of mediation training).
• Union Treasurer, Federation of Administrative Law Judges – D.C.

Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia     Dec. 1998 – July 2016

Litigated or supervised most of the District Government’s leading affirmative civil cases in D.C. Superior Court and federal court, including $100 million in recoveries in 2015.

Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Public Interest Division                        Nov. 2015 – July 2016

• Headed the Office’s new Public Integrity Unit, whose responsibilities included oversight of nonprofit organizations and prosecution of civil false claims.
• Assisted the Division Deputy with management of three litigating sections.

Chief, Public Advocacy Section                                                                                          Nov. 2009 – Nov. 2015

• Managed a civil prosecution section, with up to 14 line attorneys and 7 non-attorney staff, responsible for consumer protection, antitrust, nonprofit oversight, civil false claims, the tobacco settlement, and public utilities.
• Won a $70+ million summary judgment in a prosecution of leading online travel companies for failing to pay sales taxes on their total hotel room charges.
• Investigated and successfully prosecuted a D.C. Councilmember for defrauding the government of funds intended for a nonprofit youth sports program.
• Directed enforcement actions under the District’s nonprofit corporation law to recover public charter school funds diverted by school administrators.

Acting General Counsel, D.C. Dept. of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs      Sept. 2008 – Nov. 2009

• Managed 8-10 attorneys responsible for administrative litigation and regulatory counseling involving consumer protection, licensing, permitting, and zoning.

Chief, Consumer and Trade Protection Section                                                              March 2004 – Sept. 2008

• Led affirmative litigation in the areas of consumer protection, nonprofit organizations, antitrust, the tobacco settlement, and public utilities.
• Drafted and helped win passage of legislation that strengthened the D.C. Attorney General’s oversight of non-profit corporations.
• Coordinated the preparation of a report to the Attorney General on the High Cost of Being Poor and developed strategies to address predatory practices.
• Simultaneously served, from Feb. 2007 to March 2008, as Acting Deputy for the Public Advocacy Division, overseeing 50 attorneys and staff handling a wide range of affirmative civil litigation and regulatory counseling.

Senior Counsel, Civil Division                                                                                       Dec. 1998 – March 2004

• As head of the unit for consumer protection, antitrust, the multi-state tobacco settlement, and utilities, generated sufficient monetary recoveries in consumer protection and antitrust cases to fund six new attorney positions.
• Made the District into an active participant and frequent leader in multi-state attorney general groups for consumer protection, antitrust, and tobacco enforcement.
• Won a summary judgment and successfully defended an appeal in the District’s challenge to a voter initiative for government-funded drug treatment.
• Served as lead counsel for the District’s lawsuit against the gun industry.

Maryland Attorney General’s Office                                                           April 1997 – Dec. 1998

Baltimore, Maryland

Special Assistant to the Attorney General (under Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr.)

• Served as lead counsel for major consumer protection enforcement matters.
• Drafted and successfully advocated for passage of a telemarketing fraud bill.

Missouri Attorney General’s Office                                                          May 1994 – March 1997

Jefferson City, Missouri

Special Chief Counsel (under Attorney General Jeremiah W. “Jay” Nixon)       

• Served as lead counsel for major consumer protection and antitrust matters.
• Won a summary judgment in a nonprofit enforcement case that led to the creation of a billion-dollar foundation, the Missouri Foundation of Health, from the assets of Missouri’s largest Blue Cross company.
• Won a $10 million trial verdict against a marketer of deceptive sweepstakes.
• Led multi-state attorney general investigations of resale price maintenance and deceptive price advertising, yielding national settlements totaling $8.4 million.  

Federal Trade Commission                                                                           May 1991 – April 1994

Washington, D.C.

Staff Attorney, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Service Industry Practices

• Served as lead attorney for consumer fraud investigations and prosecutions.
• Obtained court injunctions against marketers of rare coin and art investments.

Criminal defense practitioner                                                                                    July 1990 – May 1991

Washington, D.C.

Court-appointed counsel under Criminal Justice Act program

• Represented indigent defendants in criminal cases in D.C. Superior Court

Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan                                                                    March 1987 – July 1990

Washington, D.C.

Law firm associate

• Represented targets of FTC consumer protection investigations.
• Litigated a complex commercial dispute involving FDA review of a new drug.

Federal Trade Commission                                                                        Oct. 1984 – March 1987

Washington, D.C.

Staff Attorney, Bureau of Consumer Protection

• Litigated complex investment fraud cases in federal district courts.
• Prepared formal comments for the FTC’s competition advocacy program.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit                                                   Sept. 1983 – Aug. 1984

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Law clerk to The Honorable Albert J. Engel, U.S. Circuit Judge.