Other LanguagesAttorney General Bob Ferguson today issued the following statement after a King County Superior Court judge granted Ferguson’s motion for a nationwide temporary restraining order blocking Albertsons’ $4 billion dividend payment.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit today to block Albertson Companies Inc. from enriching its shareholders with a $4 billion payout before a proposed merger with The Kroger Co. can be reviewed by state and federal antitrust enforcers. The “special dividend” payment, Ferguson argues, risks severely undercutting the grocery giant’s ability to compete during the lengthy time period government regulators — including Washington — will be scrutinizing the merger.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today the largest chicken producer in the nation will pay $10.5 million as a result of the Attorney General’s Office lawsuit over price-fixing on chicken products. Today’s announcement is the third and largest resolution in Ferguson’s lawsuit against 19 broiler chicken producers. The claims against the remaining 16 companies continue.
A recent independent economic study evaluating the impact of Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s No-Poach Initiative concluded that it directly increased wages for low-income franchise workers nationwide.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today a chicken producer named in an antitrust lawsuit will pay the Attorney General’s Office a total of $725,000 to resolve claims against it. Today’s announcement is the first resolution of Ferguson’s lawsuit against 19 chicken producers regarding a widespread illegal conspiracy to inflate and manipulate prices, rig contract bids and coordinate industry supply reductions to maximize profits. The lawsuit also names an industry data reporting service accused of assisting in the conspiracy.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that, as a result of his office’s price-fixing investigation, Amazon will shut down the “Sold by Amazon” program nationwide.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today he has filed a lawsuit against 19 chicken producers accusing them of a wide-ranging illegal conspiracy to inflate and manipulate prices, rig contract bids and coordinate industry supply reductions to maximize profits. Ferguson’s lawsuit also names an industry data reporting service accused of assisting in the conspiracy.
BELLINGHAM — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that, as a result of his antitrust consent decree, Bellingham Anesthesia Associates (BAA) must end its illegal dominance of the local health care market and pay $110,000 in costs and fees. BAA used unlawful non-compete clauses and exclusive contracts with area medical providers to take about 90 percent of the market share for physician-administered anesthesia services in Whatcom and Skagit counties. This legally enforceable agreement requires BAA to cease illegally requiring physicians to sign three-year non-compete contracts.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed an antitrust lawsuit against technology giant Google for using anticompetitive practices to insulate its app distribution service, Google Play Store, from competition — forcing Android app developers to raise app prices for users in order to pay Google’s exorbitant fees. These practices have targeted all levels of the smartphone ecosystem, including device manufacturers, network operators and app developers.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced a judge ruled that StarKist, a canned tuna manufacturer, engaged in a price-fixing scheme from November 2011 through December 2013. In a prior and unrelated federal case against StarKist, a federal judge sentenced the company to pay a $100 million criminal fine — the maximum allowed by law — for its role in a nationwide conspiracy to manipulate the price of canned tuna to benefit the company and its executives.