News Releases

 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.

Nearly 100 sites in Washington sites join DEA’S nationwide effort  OLYMPIA — The abuse of prescription drugs inflicts a deadly toll in Washington state. Painkillers, such as Oxycontin and Vicodin soothe chronic pain and improve lives.  But such painkillers are increasingly abused by those who mix them with other drugs and alcohol or even crush and smoke them for a quick — and sometimes deadly — high.  Unused or expired painkillers left in medicine cabinets are contributing to the problem.

SEATTLE—In January, a split panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 ruling in Farrakhan v. Gregoire, overturning Washington’s felon disenfranchisement law, holding that it violates the federal Voting Rights Act and granting convicted felons in Washington the right to vote from prison and while on community supervision.

SEATTLE – A Vancouver man who sells business cards and graphic design services over the Internet will refund customers who never received their orders under an agreement reached this month with the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

 DIY legal forms aren’t a substitute for an attorney SEATTLE – If you’ve watched cable TV, you’ve likely seen celebrity attorney Robert Shapiro tout his company, LegalZoom, as a way to start businesses, patent inventions and create wills. “We put the law on your side,” he says.

State Attorney General’s Office partners with Drug Enforcement Administration to promote prescription drug safety OLYMPIA — Prescription painkillers — often stolen and abused — are helping fuel an overdose epidemic in Washington state. Drug overdoses now kill more Washington residents than car accidents. Because of this epidemic, The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other government, community, public health and law enforcement partners are working together to help the public safely dispose of expired or unused medications on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The DOJ today argued its motion to dismiss a multi-state lawsuit, brought by 20 states including Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and Attorney General Rob McKenna, two individuals and the National Federation of Independent Business. The argument centered on whether the states and other plaintiffs even had a right to bring the case.