News Releases

State Attorney General Rob McKenna won his first case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a unanimous ruling upholding the state’s felon voting laws and rejecting an earlier ruling that applied the federal Voting Rights Act to Washington’s felon disenfranchisement law.

OLYMPIA – Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today a settlement with Wells Fargo Bank that provides loan modifications for residents in Washington and seven other states who obtained problematic mortgages from Wachovia Bank and Golden West Corp., which did business as World Savings Bank.

 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) jointly filed a motion today in U.S. District Court asking the court to approve and enter a judicial consent decree that imposes a new, enforceable, and achievable schedule for cleaning up waste from Hanford’s underground tanks. 

Late yesterday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of the recent U. S. District Court decision in Family PAC v. McKenna, et al. that found the $5,000 timing restriction on contributions during the 21 days before a general election unconstitutional for ballot measures.   

OLYMPIA – Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, a longtime supporter of efforts to end domestic violence, will shine a purple light on this preventable crime during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. During the month of October, the Attorney General’s Office will join others statewide in displaying purple lights to remember victims who lost their lives, support survivors and symbolize hope for those still living with abuse.

 Washington State Attorney General announces three drug company settlements  OLYMPIA – Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna announced $3.9 million worth of new settlements with drug companies today. The settlements involve the marketing of drugs in a way that runs afoul of Federal Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. Those marketing practices, government attorneys say, illegally extract money from Medicaid.

 Attorney General McKenna announces latest drug company settlement OLYMPIA – Washington will receive more than $3.2 million in its newest settlement with a drug manufacturer. Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced an agreement with Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc., resolving claims by the federal government and several states regarding the illegal marketing of three drugs.

SEATTLE – Penny auction sites lure consumers with cheap prices on brand-name electronics, designer handbags and discounted store gift cards. But an investigation by the Washington Attorney General’s Office shows how some of these sites can fool consumers into paying big bucks on an auction with no winner. These sites use shill bids to drive up prices by one unlucky penny at a time.

Workers face Ethics Act fines for on-the-job shenanigans  OLYMPIA — A state worker surfing for pornography while on the job, another using state computers exclusively for personal business and a yet another who made off with thousands of dollars in taxpayer-owned equipment are among those facing penalties from the Washington State Executive Ethics Board. Today, the board announced its most recent actions under state ethics laws.

OLYMPIA – The Attorney General’s Office today settled a lawsuit against the Building Industry Association of Washington’s Member Services Corporation (BIAW-MSC) for violating the state’s campaign finance disclosure law.