Other LanguagesSEATTLE — A King County Superior Court judge has ordered two companies and their owners to pay more than $24.8 million for their unlawful conduct targeting small business owners. The judge determined that both companies’ “entire business model was based upon deceiving small business owners.”
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit today to block Albertson Companies Inc. from enriching its shareholders with a $4 billion payout before a proposed merger with The Kroger Co. can be reviewed by state and federal antitrust enforcers. The “special dividend” payment, Ferguson argues, risks severely undercutting the grocery giant’s ability to compete during the lengthy time period government regulators — including Washington — will be scrutinizing the merger.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today the largest chicken producer in the nation will pay $10.5 million as a result of the Attorney General’s Office lawsuit over price-fixing on chicken products. Today’s announcement is the third and largest resolution in Ferguson’s lawsuit against 19 broiler chicken producers. The claims against the remaining 16 companies continue.
OLYMPIA — For this year’s International Charity Fraud Awareness Week, Oct. 17 to 21, Attorney General Bob Ferguson is urging Washingtonians to do research before donating and watch out for scammers seeking to take advantage of donations.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson released the results of a consumer survey revealing that 59% of Washingtonians may have been unintentionally enrolled in a subscription plan or service when they thought they made a one-time purchase, highlighting a problem that may be impacting millions of Washingtonians. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that just over 6 million adults live in Washington state. Consequently, 59% represents 3.5 million Washingtonians. Respondents reported that pre-check boxes constitute a significant source of the problem.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that he expanded his lawsuit against 14 Providence-affiliated hospitals, including five Swedish hospitals, by adding two collection agencies that worked for the hospitals. The Attorney General’s underlying consumer protection lawsuit stems from Providence’s charity care and collections practices impacting tens of thousands of patients and hundreds of millions of dollars in medical debt.
VANCOUVER — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today a court order will require Chuck’s Towing, a Clark County towing company, to pay three service members for illegally selling their cars at auction. The order also requires it to implement specific policies so it will not harm service members in the future.
A recent independent economic study evaluating the impact of Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s No-Poach Initiative concluded that it directly increased wages for low-income franchise workers nationwide.
TACOMA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that national jewelry outlet Harris Jewelry will provide more than $1.5 million in debt relief and refunds to more than 1,000 Washington service members. The company preyed specifically on active-duty military members and induced them into signing contracts that Ferguson asserted were violations of the federal Military Lending Act and the state Consumer Protection Act.
TACOMA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Tradesmen International LLC will end its existing non-compete agreements that restrict the job mobility of thousands of workers in Washington. Today’s announcement is the result of Ferguson’s investigation into Tradesmen’s unfair and deceptive use of non-compete agreements that it never disclosed to its affected workers, and that violate Washington law.