Other LanguagesAttorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Renton-based collection agency Convergent will pay more than $1.6 million over misleading letters it sent to Washingtonians. The letters contained “settlement offers” to settle debts, including student loans, but failed to disclose that Convergent could not enforce the debt in court. The term “settlement offer” deceptively suggested the possibility of litigation to collect the debt. As a result of the Attorney General’s case, the 1,405 Washingtonians who sent money to Convergent will get back the money they sent to the company, plus interest — a total of nearly $710,000.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson is offering guidance for utility customers who have past due accounts and may be at risk of a utility shutoff. The statewide moratorium on utility disconnections ends on Sept. 30.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today he will appeal Purdue Pharma’s flawed bankruptcy plan. Ferguson asserts that the plan is inadequate, and that a bankruptcy court doesn’t have the authority to prevent attorneys general from enforcing state law, including the decision to pursue the company’s owners, the Sackler family, for their illegal conduct.
BELLINGHAM — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that, as a result of his antitrust consent decree, Bellingham Anesthesia Associates (BAA) must end its illegal dominance of the local health care market and pay $110,000 in costs and fees. BAA used unlawful non-compete clauses and exclusive contracts with area medical providers to take about 90 percent of the market share for physician-administered anesthesia services in Whatcom and Skagit counties. This legally enforceable agreement requires BAA to cease illegally requiring physicians to sign three-year non-compete contracts.
OLYMPIA — After the federal foreclosure moratorium ended on July 31, Attorney General Bob Ferguson is offering guidance and resources to Washington homeowners about the availability of housing counseling services. Ferguson is encouraging homeowners need to act now to learn what post-forbearance options they may have based on the type of loan they have. Housing counselors can assist homeowners to navigate new federal rules and assistance programs that take effect at the end of August to help people keep their homes.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following statement after two key legal victories on Friday in Washington’s case against opioid distributors McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson offers the following statement on a recent ruling in his lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson:
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that he formally rejected a proposed settlement with opioid distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen, and Johnson & Johnson. The Attorney General’s Office has been litigating against these companies for years. Trial against McKesson, Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen begins in King County Superior Court on September 7. Ferguson’s trial against Johnson & Johnson is scheduled to begin in King County Superior Court in January 2022.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following statement on a proposed bankruptcy plan from Purdue Pharma:
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed an antitrust lawsuit against technology giant Google for using anticompetitive practices to insulate its app distribution service, Google Play Store, from competition — forcing Android app developers to raise app prices for users in order to pay Google’s exorbitant fees. These practices have targeted all levels of the smartphone ecosystem, including device manufacturers, network operators and app developers.