Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

Washington state’s maximum penalties for antitrust violations like price-fixing and collusion will be among the strongest in the nation after the Legislature approved a bill last night sponsored by Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Lake City, and requested by Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that debt collection agency Harris & Harris will pay his office $1 million to resolve a lawsuit, which asserted the company unlawfully collected medical payments from more than 160,000 Washington patients without providing them with disclosures about their rights when faced with medical debt. By excluding those disclosures, Harris & Harris created barriers that kept patients from learning about and accessing financial assistance on their hospital bills.   
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Providence, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, must forgive more than $137 million in medical debt and refund more than $20 million to patients the company billed for services despite knowing they likely qualified for free or reduced-cost health care. The $157.8 million resolution will provide full refunds, plus interest, and debt forgiveness for 99,446 individuals. It is the largest resolution of its kind in the country. 
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit today to block the proposed Kroger-Albertsons grocery merger. Ferguson asserts the proposed merger of the two largest supermarket companies in Washington state will severely limit shopping options for consumers and eliminate vital competition that keeps grocery prices low.
SEATTLE — If you own a Washington small business, there’s a good chance you have been targeted by a series of fraudulent schemes orchestrated by three brothers in Michigan. The details of their schemes vary, but they all involve deceptive solicitations giving the false impression that they are mandatory bills from a government agency. 
Attorney General Bob Ferguson is partnering with Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, and Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Lake City, to propose legislation in the 2024 session to increase the maximum penalty for antitrust violations like price-fixing and collusion in Washington state.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that another chicken producer will pay the Attorney General’s Office as a result of his price-fixing lawsuit on chicken products. House of Raeford Farms will pay $460,000 to resolve legal claims against it. 
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Lumen, formerly CenturyLink, will pay a total of $825,000 to 1,099 Washington telephone customers it disconnected during the pandemic in violation of the emergency health and safety moratorium. The payment resolves two separate investigations by Ferguson’s Public Counsel Unit and his Consumer Protection Division.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that, as a result of his multistate antitrust lawsuit against Google, Washington Google Play Store users are eligible for a share of a $700 million nationwide resolution against the global technology giant. 
MONTESANO — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that a Grays Harbor County Superior Court judge ordered the owners of an Ilwaco mobile home park to pay $926,500 in penalties for unlawfully issuing eviction and utility shut-off notices, plus the Attorney General’s Office’s costs and fees.

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