OLYMPIA -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire has issued this statement in response to today's 7-2 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Locke v. Davey case.

February 13, 1996 - The Attorney General's Office today warned consumers to avoid illegal pyramid schemes including those involving long distance phone cards.

Consumers from Vancouver to Tacoma already have been lured with promises of 1000 percent return on an initial investment of about $100. The scheme is also expected to hit the Seattle area and Eastern Washington. About 10 consumers have filed formal complaints, although many more individuals have contacted the Attorney General's Office to inquire about the scam.

Olympia - August 10, 1999 - A Washington-based employment agency that hired people to replace striking Kaiser Aluminum workers in Spokane violated state law when it hired people outside Washington, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Seattle - September 16,1999 - Attorney General Christine Gregoire has appointed Tina Kondo as the new chief of the Antitrust Division. The division is responsible for enforcing state and federal antitrust laws and investigating complaints about potential anti-competitive activity.

"The antitrust division is responsible for making sure the public’s interest is represented in today’s rapidly evolving business environment," said Gregoire. "Now, more than ever, consumers need the benefit of a market which is competitive and free of collusion."

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."