OLYMPIA—The Washington Attorney General’s Office started trial today in Spokane County Superior Court seeking to civilly commit a Spokane area sex offender and prevent his release into the community.

Washington’s Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) law allows the state Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to petition for the civil commitment of violent sex offenders who, because of a mental abnormality and/or personality disorder, are proven likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if released.

OLYMPIA—Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jay Roof today ruled in favor of the Attorney General’s Office as it sought to keep a Kitsap County sex predator confined at Washington’s Special Commitment Center for sexually violent predators.

State alleges Renton man used access to confidential state databases to commit identity theft against seniors, people with disabilities and non-profits

OLYMPIA—An inmate at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center (CBCC) pled not guilty Friday to charges filed by the Attorney General’s Office, accusing him of repeatedly stabbing a corrections officer with a 4- to 5-inch metal shank.

1880 Western Wear to refund approximately 117 consumers nationwide, at least 5 from Washington state

SPOKANE — The Attorney General’s Office has resolved a lawsuit against an Internet based company in Colville, Wash. for violations of the Consumer Protection Act.

Personal stories of NW families struggling to make ends meet and avoid foreclosure highlight the need for community involvement and support 

Angeline Thomas, Foreclosure Mediation & Outreach Project Attorney, Seattle University School of Law
PH 206-398-4304, thomasan@seattleu.edu

Lyn Peters, DFI Director of Communications
PH 360-902-8731, lyn.peters@dfi.wa.gov

Alison Dempsey-Hall, AGO Deputy Director of Communications
  

Press release courtesy of Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries

TACOMA — A Pierce County landscaper must serve one year on probation and perform community service for failing to provide workers’ compensation coverage for an injured employee.

Kenneth Ivan Winters, 40, of Lakewood, pleaded guilty recently to a gross misdemeanor charge of doing business without workers’ comp insurance and a felony count of false reporting by an employer, according to the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

Release compliments of the the Human Rights Commission

OLYMPIA - Today, the Washington Supreme Court held that the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for their employee’s religious practices.  

The case involved a lawsuit by employees of an airport concessionaire who were not permitted to bring their own meals to work for security reasons, and who challenged their employer’s failure to provide meals consistent with their religious beliefs.

Follow corrective steps if you are a tax-identity fraud victim

SEATTLE — Identity theft is a growing problem nationwide, and Washington is no exception. In early March 2014 the Seattle Archdiocese learned that volunteers and employees at parishes and schools became victims of a tax-identity fraud scheme.

Through a data breach, fraudsters obtained victims’ personal information, including their names and Social Security numbers and filed false income tax returns.

Marks 50th anniversary of one of the most significant trials in Washington state legal history

SEATTLE—The Attorney General’s Office is hosting a discussion with distinguished panelists regarding state Rep. John Goldmark’s 1962 “red-baiting” attack, and the historic lawsuit that followed.

The panel discussion will feature: