Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

McKenna was in town promoting the Washington Homeownership Information Hotline, which connects struggling borrowers with counselors such as those at Apprisen. Today he repeated his warning that borrowers should stay away from those who offer potential loan modifications for an upfront fee, adding that such pitches come in email, phone calls and letters.
GlaxoSmithKline settles drug marketing and pricing claims OLYMPIA –Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced Washington state’s share of the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history.
OLYMPIA – Today the US Supreme Court upheld the 2010 Affordable Care Act. In a close decision, with multiple opinions, the Court ruled that the federal requirement to purchase health insurance—specifically a plan dictated by government regulators – does not violate the Constitution.
President of National Association of Attorneys General addressed human trafficking, mortgage crisis ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna today concluded his term as president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), handing the gavel to Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler.
SEATTLE – Vianna Engel was determined to hold on to her home. “If I lose my property, my elderly mother loses her home, too,” Engel this week explained to a staff member at the Attorney General’s Office. Her mom’s single-wide mobile home sits on Engel’s property in Rochester. “She took care of me and I’m not going to let this happen to her.”  
SEATTLE – On May 7, Backpage.com attorney Liz MacDougall wrote in the Seattle Times that the online marketplace, which charges a dollar and up for prostitution ads, is “an ally in the fight against human trafficking.” On Monday, Backpage attorneys filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington over a first-of-its-kind law that encourages ID checks before prostitution ads are placed online.
 Consumers should think twice before giving these companies a “second chance” SEATTLE – Guess who is back in town?  It’s the door-to-door magazine sellers from out of state who appear on doorsteps claiming outrageously priced subscriptions will help fund “second chance” opportunities for inner city youth.  The Washington Attorney General’s Office has issued warnings about such visitors before, and is again alerting consumers to beware of these solicitors and think twice before buying their magazines.
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Supreme Court today rejected a lawsuit claiming that Initiative 1183, which privatized state liquor sales, violated the state Constitution’s requirement that proposed laws only address a single subject. The Court also rejected a claim that the description of the new law on voters’ ballots was misleading.
 OLYMPIA — The Washington State Attorney General’s Office will continue to defend against a lawsuit challenging the state’s voter-approved law requiring a supermajority vote by legislators to raise taxes, and voter approval of tax increases that exceed the state spending limit.  King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller today ruled that Initiative1053, approved by the voters in 2010, is unconstitutional. The court held that the supermajority and voter approval provisions restrict the Legislature’s constitutional authority to raise taxes. 
King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong today issued a ruling in favor of the Attorney General’s Office in Mackey v. McKenna, a case brought by a group who urged the court to force Attorney General Rob McKenna to file amended briefings in the US Supreme Court six weeks after oral arguments and other briefs were filed in the case.

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