Other LanguagesAttorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Synapse Group, the country’s top magazine subscription company, must return all of the money it charged more than 2,000 Washington consumers for deceptive auto-renewals, an estimated total of $125,000. These customers bought magazine subscriptions at a highly discounted promotional rate of $2. However, the company did not clearly disclose that these $2 subscriptions would auto-renew at full price. In addition to the checks themselves, Synapse is also required to pay the Attorney General’s Office $750,000 for reasonable attorney costs and fees, future monitoring and enforcement of today’s resolution, and future enforcement of the Consumer Protection Act.
OLYMPIA — In response to concerns raised by consumer complaints and news reports, Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued guidance today for third-party restaurant delivery services. The guidance is aimed at helping the companies avoid violations of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that his office recently uncovered a dramatic change in the timeline for the proposed sale of the National Archives building in Seattle buried in a 74-page meeting minutes document from October. In it, the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) disclosed that it would move to immediately sell the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) building in Seattle, along with a “portfolio” of other federal properties, in early 2021. It had planned on selling the properties individually over the next year.
OLYMPIA — In light of recent inquiries from members of the press and public, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Secretary of State Kim Wyman are jointly providing information about what happens under Washington law if the governor resigns to accept a position in a presidential administration.
SEATTLE — A King County Superior Court judge today found AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., one of the largest prescription opioid distributors in the world, in contempt of court for failing to turn over important documents and attempting to shield key witnesses from testifying. AmerisourceBergen is one of the three companies Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued in March 2019 for unlawfully contributing to Washington state’s opioid epidemic.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following statement today after a federal judge in northern California ruled that the Trump Administration’s reinterpretation of a long-standing provision of the Medicaid Act that allows voluntary payroll deductions — such as union dues and health care premiums — from payments to in-home caregivers is invalid.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that a federal judge struck down the Trump Administration’s latest attempt to gut the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The judge, in granting Ferguson’s motion for summary judgment, ruled that this latest DACA rollback violated federal law.
OLYMPIA — On Monday, Nov. 16, the trial over the remaining campaign finance violations alleged against initiative promoter Tim Eyman will begin.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on the Washington State Patrol’s Independent Investigation Team’s referral of its completed investigation into the death of Manuel Ellis:
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Court of Appeals today unanimously upheld the $18 million penalty in Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against the Grocery Manufacturers Association over its intentional violations of Washington’s campaign finance laws.