Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Nick Brown

Superior court judge makes two key rulings on state tobacco lawsuit

SEATTLE - June 11, 1998 - King County Superior Court Judge George Finkle has granted the state's request to use key portions of a document the state claims will provide strong evidence of wrongdoing by the nation's largest tobacco company, RJR Tobacco. The state expects to use the document as evidence in its upcoming trial against the tobacco industry.

Attorney General McKenna is Pleased to Announce a Victory in the State’s Lawsuit to Block Radioactive Waste Imports

OLYMPIA –The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington today granted summary judgment in the state’s favor on one claim in a lawsuit filed by the state in March 2003 to stop the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from shipping transuranic mixed waste to Hanford from other DOE sites around the country.

Gregoire, state, net additional $100 million from tobacco settlement fund

Olympia - May 24, 1999 - State Attorney General Christine Gregoire announced today that Washington state will receive an additional $100 million from the multi-state settlement between state attorneys general and the tobacco industry. The second and final allocation lifts Washington’s total award from the settlement’s Strategic Contribution Fund to $494.9 million, which is the highest amount in the nation.

Superior Court judge denies state access to 39,000 tobacco industry documents

SEATTLE - May 5, 1998 - King County Superior Court Judge, George A. Finkle, today denied Washington state's request to compel the tobacco industry to turn over the 39,000 industry documents recently released to Congress and the State of Minnesota. The industry had released the internal memos, research summaries, and other sensitive industry documents last month in response to a subpoena by House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-VA).

Canadian Seafood Company Sued for Geoduck Theft

OLYMPIA - Attorney General Rob McKenna today filed suit against a Canadian seafood supplier and its officers for allegedly conspiring with a convicted poacher to steal more than 65 tons of geoduck from South Puget Sound.

The civil lawsuit, filed today in Thurston County Superior Court under the state's Criminal Profiteering Act, seeks millions of dollars in damages and penalties from Clear Bay Fisheries, Inc., and two of Clear Bay's corporate officers, Jeffrey Stephen Albulet and Julian Ng.

State Will Receive $73.2 Million in Tobacco Settlement Restitution

Olympia - April 17, 2000 - Washington state today will receive $73.19 million in restitution from the tobacco industry. The payment is the first of the perpetual annual payments mandated by the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between state attorneys general and the major tobacco manufacturers.

Washington’s annual restitution payments are due each April. In addition, Washington has already received two of five initial payments, due each January through 2003, for approximately $95 million.