Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that the claims process is now open as a result of his successful civil rights case against Greyhound Lines Inc. Greyhound passengers detained, arrested or deported after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents approached them, or boarded their Greyhound bus, at the Spokane Intermodal Center are eligible for a share of $2.2 million Greyhound paid to resolve Ferguson’s lawsuit. Claims are due by March 31, 2022.

OLYMPIA — In a victory for Washington, a federal jury determined that The GEO Group Inc. (GEO), the for-profit operator of the Northwest ICE Processing Center, violates Washington’s minimum wage laws by paying detainee workers only $1 per day. The verdict concludes the first phase of a retrial in Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against GEO.

El Procurador General Bob Ferguson anunció hoy que Greyhound Lines Inc. pagará $2.2 millones para resolver su demanda sobre la práctica de la línea de autobuses de permitir que los agentes de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de los EE.UU. (U.S. Customs & Border Protection) (CBP) aborden sus autobuses para llevar a cabo redadas migratorias sin contar con órdenes judiciales ni sospecha razonable cuando no tenían que hacerlo. Greyhound no les advirtió a los clientes sobre las redadas, tergiversó su rol en permitir que se realizaran redadas y sometió a sus pasajeros a la discriminación a base de raza, color de la piel o nacionalidad.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court denied review of the state’s lawsuit against a Richland florist for violating Washington’s Consumer Protection Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) by refusing to serve a same-sex couple seeking to buy wedding flowers in 2013:

Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed a lawsuit against travel insurance company Allianz over its discriminatory practice of categorically denying insurance claims for Washingtonians who had to cancel or reschedule their travel plans because of mental health events.

SEATTLE — As a result of a lawsuit brought by Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a California-based air cargo handler must end its practice of discriminating against pregnant and disabled employees, in violation of the Washington Law Against Discrimination. The company, Matheson Flight Extenders, must also pay $168,500, which will compensate harmed employees.

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Boston Scientific, a medical device manufacturer, will pay more than $8.8 million to Washington for misrepresentations and failure to include serious risks in the instructions and marketing materials for surgical mesh devices.

A Superior Court judge in Spokane has denied an attempt by Greyhound Lines Inc. to dismiss Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit against the national bus line company. The lawsuit, filed in April, seeks to hold Greyhound accountable for its practice of allowing U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) agents to board its buses and conduct warrantless and suspicionless immigration sweeps of Greyhound passengers at the Spokane Intermodal Center, and repeatedly refusing to implement reforms to protect its passengers.

Ayer, una jueza de la Corte Superior de Spokane rechazó el intento de Greyhound Lines, Inc. de despedir la demanda del Procurador General Bob Ferguson contra la compañía nacional de línea de autobuses. La demanda, presentada al pasado abril, busca responsabilizar a Greyhound por permitir que los agentes de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de los EE. UU.(U.S. Customs & Border Protection) (CBP) aborden los autobuses para llevar a cabo redadas de los pasajeros de Greyhound sin contar con órdenes judiciales ni sospecha razonable en el Spokane Intermodal Center, y por negarse repetidamente a implementar reformas para proteger a los pasajeros.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that Great Columbia Berry Farms LLC, a blueberry grower in Walla Walla County, will pay $350,000 as a result of his office’s civil rights enforcement action. The lawsuit asserts one of the company’s managers, Jose Luis Contreras Ramirez, raped at least one female worker, sexually harassed several female workers over the course of years and retaliated against those workers who spoke out against his conduct. At least four women were affected by Contreras’s conduct.