A busy week from the Office of the Attorney General — a consumer-protection investigation targeting cancelled World Cup tickets, a multimillion-dollar settlement over Spark driver pay, and a court order stopping the stockpiling of thousands of used wind turbine blades in West Texas
AUSTIN — Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office moved on three fronts this week, opening a new investigation into ticket resale giant StubHub over cancelled 2026 FIFA World Cup tickets, announcing a $13 million settlement with Walmart over pay practices for its Spark delivery drivers, and securing a Texas court order forcing a Sweetwater wind turbine recycling company to stop accepting new shipments and begin cleaning up more than 3,000 discarded blades. Here’s a rundown of all three.
Paxton Opens Investigation Into StubHub Over Cancelled World Cup Tickets
Paxton’s office announced Thursday that it has opened an investigation into StubHub over reports that fans have paid for FIFA World Cup tickets and either had them cancelled or never received them.
According to the attorney general’s office, fans across the country — including in Texas host cities Dallas and Houston — have reported that StubHub cancelled their tickets days or even hours before kickoff of matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The attorney general’s office said StubHub has attributed the cancellations to “transfer problems” tied to FIFA’s ticketing platform, but described consumer complaints as pointing to a broader pattern often called “ghost ticketing,” in which sellers list tickets they do not actually possess, collect payment, and then cancel when they cannot deliver.
“My office is investigating reports that StubHub is failing to deliver tickets that Texas fans have rightfully purchased,” Paxton said in a statement. “In many cases, attending a World Cup match is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If StubHub is ghost ticketing Texans out of that experience, my office will use every tool available to hold them accountable and help fans who have been wronged.”
Paxton’s office encouraged Texans who purchased World Cup tickets through StubHub and did not receive them, or received tickets significantly inferior to what they paid for, to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General at texasattorneygeneral.gov.
The investigation is in its early stages. StubHub has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing, and the company’s response was not included in the attorney general’s release. StubHub has publicly attributed cancellations to platform-level ticket transfer issues.
Paxton Secures $13 Million From Walmart Over Spark Driver Pay Practices
Paxton’s office announced a settlement with Walmart worth more than $13 million to resolve claims that the company’s Spark Driver delivery program provided drivers with inaccurate pay and tip information.
According to the attorney general’s office, the settlement pays out over $13 million total, with roughly half going directly to affected Texas delivery drivers. The remainder is tied to compliance requirements meant to change how Walmart discloses driver pay going forward.
The Spark Driver Program is a Walmart-owned delivery service that dispatches contract drivers to deliver groceries and goods from local Walmart stores and warehouses to customer locations. According to Paxton’s office, investigations found that Walmart made false representations to drivers about their compensation, including pre-tips selected by customers at checkout, base pay, and special earnings incentives. Among the specific issues cited: Walmart failed to provide drivers with customer tips in certain instances, altered base pay amounts for deliveries after drivers had accepted offers, and misrepresented the requirements drivers had to meet to qualify for additional earnings opportunities.
Under the settlement, according to Paxton’s office, Walmart is required to implement more accurate and transparent compensation practices, and the attorney general’s office said it will continue to review records and marketing materials to monitor compliance.
“I have secured millions of dollars for delivery drivers from Walmart to ensure that these hardworking Texans receive the tips and wages they deserve,” Paxton said in a statement. “Any big corporation that promises certain offers and pay in exchange for services must honor those promises. I am always proud to stand up for my constituents to make sure that they are fairly compensated for their hard work.”
The settlement is documented in an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance filed with the state. Under Texas consumer protection practice, such agreements are typically not admissions of wrongdoing by the settling party. Walmart’s response was not included in the attorney general’s release.
Spark drivers who believe they were affected by the practices covered in the settlement can contact the Consumer Protection Division at texasattorneygeneral.gov for information on how to claim compensation.
Court Orders Cleanup of Thousands of Discarded Wind Turbine Blades in Sweetwater
A Texas court has issued a temporary injunction against a wind turbine recycling company operating in Sweetwater, Texas, ordering the company to stop accepting new shipments of turbine blades and to begin cleaning up more than 3,000 discarded blades and parts that state officials say have been illegally stockpiled at two facilities, Paxton’s office announced.
According to the attorney general’s office, Global Fiberglass Solutions, Inc. and affiliated entities were purportedly hired by multiple wind energy companies to break down, transport, and recycle used turbine blades. Instead, Paxton’s office said, Global created what it described as unpermitted and illegal disposal sites containing more than 3,000 blades and blade parts, in violation of Texas solid waste disposal laws and prior administrative orders.
The injunction, according to the office, requires the defendants to immediately stop accepting new shipments of waste at the two Sweetwater facilities, to begin breaking down the existing turbine blades, and to dispose of them at an authorized disposal facility.
Paxton first filed suit against Global and the affiliated entities in February 2026, seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief requiring the complete removal of unauthorized waste, according to the office. The temporary injunction is described as a first step toward those objectives.
“This is a victory for protecting the land, health, and safety of the people of Texas,” Paxton said in a statement. “No new wind turbine blade shipments will be accepted at these illegal sites and the defendants are now legally required to begin cleaning up the thousands of discarded blades they irresponsibly abandoned in Sweetwater. We will not allow Texas land to be used as an illegal dumping ground.”
A temporary injunction is a preliminary court order rather than a final ruling. The litigation is ongoing, and the state is seeking civil penalties in addition to the cleanup requirements. A response from Global Fiberglass Solutions or its counsel was not included in the attorney general’s release.
Source: Office of the Texas Attorney General
