OLYMPIA -- Pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering Plough will reimburse Washington's Medicaid program $3.57 million in a nationwide settlement of allegations the drug maker failed to offer state Medicaid programs its best price for the popular antihistamine drug Claritin.

Under the settlement, Schering will reimburse overcharges totaling $140.7 million to Medicaid programs in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The states' settlement was reached in conjunction with a federal settlement also filed today in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.

June 20, 1997, OLYMPIA - Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire today joined 38 other attorneys general in announcing a proposed settlement of their lawsuits with tobacco companies.  

"The settlement is a tough, realistic, effective step toward solving the most serious public health problem in America today," Gregoire said, noting that each year more than 400,000 people die from smoking related deaths.  

Seattle - July 29, 1999 - State Attorney General Christine Gregoire today announced Washington will receive more than $1 million as part of a $42 million multi-state settlement with a pharmaceutical manufacturer that it claims suppressed important information about the effectiveness of its thyroid drug known as Synthroid.

OLYMPIA – June 7, 2000 - My office has received and is now reviewing Judge Jackson’s order adopting – in large part – the remedy proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and several states in their antitrust case against Microsoft.

From the beginning, I have stated my belief that DOJ was aggressively pursuing all of the issues in this case and that there was no need for Washington to use limited state resources to pursue the same issues.

The aim in any remedy proposal should be to prevent wrongful conduct.

OLYMPIA -- Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire said today she will file a lawsuit against Philip Morris USA if it fails to make a $53 million payment to the state on April 15.

Gregoire and 50 other Attorneys General sent a letter Friday threatening the lawsuit if the state payments, which will total $2.6 billion, are missed.

Last week Philip Morris said it is "presently uncertain" whether it will make the tobacco settlement payments next month to state governments.

OLYMPIA -- Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire today criticized plans by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to import out-of-state nuclear waste to Hanford.

"There should be no more shipments to Hanford until waste improperly stored at the site is cleaned up," Gregoire said. "Until DOE has demonstrated the commitment and capacity to clean up the contamination already at Hanford, they should not ship additional waste."

OLYMPIA - December 3, 1999 - Attorney General Christine Gregoire is urging federal officials and Congressional representatives to take action to stop the importation of hand-rolled flavored cigarettes produced primarily in India.

Olympia - November 18, 1999- A former Pend Oreille County District Court judge was charged late Wednesday with fourth degree assault stemming from an alleged incident in which a woman was sexually assaulted by him at his lake cabin.

OLYMPIA - December 2, 1997 - King County Superior Court Judge George Finkle has ordered that the State Attorney General's Office be given access to key tobacco company documents for use in the state's lawsuit against the industry. The AG's Office contends the documents will support its claim that the tobacco industry misrepresented the health hazards of smoking.

OLYMPIA -- Thousands of compact discs worth more than $1.5 million are rolling into Washington schools and libraries this week as a result of a national antitrust settlement.

Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire said more than 72,800 of the CDs will be distributed to K-12 schools for use by students. Ninety Washington libraries will receive more than 40,000 CDs.