Companies failed to keep legally required records on political advertising

High court ruling will not affect similar Washington case

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson offered the following statement in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission:

“Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision may add some procedural steps to the Arlene’s Flowers case, but it will not alter its ultimate resolution.

OLYMPIA — The Washington Attorney General’s Office filed a petition today in Thurston County Superior Court seeking to civilly commit a sex offender and prevent his release into the community.

Randy R. Smith, 59, was convicted of first-degree rape of a child in 1990. He was also convicted of first-degree voyeurism in 2013, which constitutes a recent overt act under the Sexually Violent Predator Act.

Clallam Bay corrections officer suffered traumatic brain injury from attack

PORT ANGELES — The Attorney General’s Office filed second-degree attempted murder charges today in Clallam County Superior Court against a state prison inmate after an assault left a corrections officer with a traumatic brain injury.

The charges are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

OLYMPIA — Former 19^th Legislative District candidate Teresa Purcell will pay $14,395 over campaign finance violations.

The Attorney General’s Office’s lawsuit alleged Purcell failed to timely report debts, contributions and expenditures, and also failed to report employer and occupation information for contributors giving more than $100.

Real Estate Investment Network accused of scamming homeowners out of “surplus funds”

OLYMPIA — A King County Superior Court judge has ordered a company accused of scamming foreclosed homeowners out of equity in the form of surplus funds from the foreclosure sale to halt its deceptive practices while the state’s lawsuit progresses.

Company conspired to inflate prices of a technology once ubiquitous in television screens and computer monitors

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Toshiba Corporation, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Japan, will pay $1.3 million as part of the Attorney General’s price-fixing lawsuit against manufacturers of a component used in television and computer screens called cathode ray tube, or CRT.

Washington, Ohio leading bipartisan coalition of 39 states urging Congress to pass opioid legislation

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson and a bipartisan group of 38 other attorneys general today called on Congress to pass two bills to help reduce the flow of opioids into the black market. The bills, sponsored by Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, increase penalties on opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Company deceives foreclosed homeowners to gain access to surplus funds   

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Kirkland- and Portland-based Real Estate Investment Network, LLC (REIN), accusing the company of scamming foreclosed homeowners out of equity in the form of surplus funds from the sale. These surplus funds can amount to tens of thousands of dollars from each homeowner.

MONTESANO — The Washington Attorney General’s Office filed a petition today in Grays Harbor County Superior Court seeking to civilly commit a sex offender and prevent his release into the community.

David Hunter, 44, was convicted of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and first-degree sexual abuse in Multnomah County, Ore., in 1995. These crimes are comparable to Washington’s first-degree rape of a child and second-degree child molestation.