News Releases

SEATTLE – Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced a settlement with three California-based businesses that resolves allegations they installed software that took control of a consumer’s computer by launching aggressive and persistent pop-ups that demanded payment for a movie download service. The software was installed after users signed up for a seemingly anonymous free trial for the service.

OLYMPIA…Attorney General Rob McKenna, Ken Miller and his family today joined Gov. Chris Gregoire as she signed into law a new notice requirement for property owners whose land has been targeted for government projects.

SEATTLE – Washington state consumers are eligible for refunds as part of a settlement reached between the Florida Attorney General’s Office and Email Discount Network (EDN). Email Discount Network, located in Florida, charged more than 250,000 consumers nationwide a monthly fee for shopping coupons and discounts the company advertised on the Internet.

Attorney General Rob McKenna will join Gov. Chris Gregoire in her executive conference room at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 17, 2007,  as she signs a bill they jointly requested to improve public notice in eminent domain cases and takes action on two of his other attorney-general request bills:

SEATTLE – Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced a lawsuit against an estate property consignment business and its owner for allegedly failing to fully compensate customers for sold items and keeping unsold property. The company is located on the Olympic Peninsula and also does business online. The Attorney General’s Office filed a suit today in Kitsap County Superior Court, alleging violations of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act by Great Estates, LCC, of Port Orchard, and its owner, Alice Simpson, of Olalla. The company has also done business as Cornucopia Ailisia.

SEATTLE – Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced a lawsuit against Merchant Processing, Inc. (MPI), of Beaverton, Ore., and several of its associates. The suit alleges the defendants used deceptive tactics to sell credit and debit card processing services to small businesses in Washington state. The Attorney General’s Office filed its complaint today in King County Superior Court, alleging violations of the state’s Consumer Protection Act by MPI and two affiliated companies in Oregon: Vequity Financial Group, of Beaverton, and Direct Merchant Processing, of Tigard. MPI’s president Aaron Rian and vice president Michael DeGroat are also defendants.

The United States Supreme Court today granted Washington divided argument in a case regarding the authority to recover costs in the voluntary clean-up of contaminated sites.  Washington wrote an amicus brief filed last week on behalf of nearly 40 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico in favor of the company seeking to recover costs.  The Supreme Court will hear argument in this case on Monday, April 23, 2007.  Deputy Solicitor General Jay Geck will have 10 minutes to present the states’ argument.

OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today thanked the state Legislature for unanimously approving an important law that provides Washington residents with a new tool to protect themselves from potential identity theft and financial destruction. Substitute Senate Bill 5826 passed unanimously in both sides of the Legislature and will be delivered to Governor Chris Gregoire for signing.

The state of Washington led 37 other states, the District of Columbia and Commonwealth of  Puerto Rico today in submitting a “friend of the court” brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case regarding the authority to recover costs in the voluntary clean-up of contaminated sites.

Relating the story of a relative whose son drained her bank account, Attorney General Rob McKenna gave kudos to legislators for approving new tools to protect seniors, shared new resources in his office to help investigators and prosecutors crack down on elder crimes and announced a statewide vulnerable adults summit to develop best practices to protect vulnerable populations.