Other LanguagesSEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Providence, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, must forgive more than $137 million in medical debt and refund more than $20 million to patients the company billed for services despite knowing they likely qualified for free or reduced-cost health care. The $157.8 million resolution will provide full refunds, plus interest, and debt forgiveness for 99,446 individuals. It is the largest resolution of its kind in the country.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today public relations firm Publicis Health will pay Washington state more than $7.9 million for its role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The Washington Attorney General’s Office has recovered more than $1.2 billion and counting that must be used to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis in Washington as a result of legal actions against entities that helped fuel the epidemic.
TACOMA — Following a trial prosecuted by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Sexually Violent Predator Unit (SVP), a Pierce County Superior Court judge has ruled that a 36-year-old Pierce County sex offender is a sexually violent predator will be civilly committed.
SEATTLE — To avoid trial in Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit, opioid manufacturer and raw material supplier Johnson & Johnson will pay $149.5 million to Washington state over its role fueling the opioid epidemic. Today’s resolution, filed in King County Superior Court, provides Washington and its local governments with tens of millions of dollars more to combat the fentanyl epidemic compared to the settlement that Ferguson rejected in 2021. Washington is one of three states receiving more than they would have under the 2021 multistate settlement.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Allianz, the world’s largest insurance company, must pay $1.5 million for discriminating against 560 Washingtonians with mental or nervous health disorders.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit today to block the proposed Kroger-Albertsons grocery merger. Ferguson asserts the proposed merger of the two largest supermarket companies in Washington state will severely limit shopping options for consumers and eliminate vital competition that keeps grocery prices low.
YAKIMA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today a Yakima County Superior Court judge sentenced two men to maximum terms of life in prison following their convictions for felony child rape.
Following a trial prosecuted by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Sexually Violent Predator Unit (SVP), a Spokane County Superior Court judge has ruled that a Spokane County sex offender is a sexually violent predator will be civilly committed.
SEATTLE — If you own a Washington small business, there’s a good chance you have been targeted by a series of fraudulent schemes orchestrated by three brothers in Michigan. The details of their schemes vary, but they all involve deceptive solicitations giving the false impression that they are mandatory bills from a government agency.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson is partnering with Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, and Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Lake City, to propose legislation in the 2024 session to increase the maximum penalty for antitrust violations like price-fixing and collusion in Washington state.