Deadline looming for Washington consumers to claim relief under settlement

SEATTLE – If you bought a Dell computer sometime in the past four years and had a problem with financing, technical support, warranty repairs or cashing in a rebate, you may have some money coming. But if you want it, the Washington Attorney General’s Office says you better act now.

Attorney General’s new online Recession Survival guide warns of schemes and provides legitimate resources

OLYMPIA – The worst economic downturn in generations has created a perfect storm of financial shocks: evaporating investments, foreclosures and job losses. To add insult to injury, a new generation of thieves increasingly targets the dwindling bank balances of struggling Washington residents. 

Drug overdoses now out-pacing car accidents as leading cause of unintentional death

OLYMPIA – Ryan DePuy was an athletic, affectionate teenager from Bothell. According to his parents, their soccer-loving son was the last person anyone would expect to experiment with drugs.

Ryan died on April 10, 2008, from a combination of four different prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna will speak at two events Wednesday about the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by young people. Prescription drug overdoses are now a leading cause of accidental death for young people in Washington state, which has one of the highest rates of use in the nation.

Fresh Start Opportunities ignored warnings from the state

SEATTLE – The Washington Attorney General’s Office today issued a warning about a company selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door in Washington and several other states. Fresh Start Opportunities claims that money from the subscriptions will be used to help young people get a “fresh start on life,” but the company isn’t a registered charity.

OLYMPIA – The Legislature has overwhelmingly passed Attorney General Rob McKenna’s requested bill to curb abusive public records requests by inmates.

“I’m pleased that legislators have overwhelmingly supported our work to stop a handful of inmates from cashing in on our state’s public records laws,” McKenna said. “This bill improves public access to government information by assuring that a few bad actors don’t intentionally overburden public records departments and then file costly lawsuits if they don’t receive every record on time.”

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Rob McKenna today urged the chairman of American International Group (AIG) to disclose the names of executives who received bonuses between September 2008 and the present, and how federal bailout money was used for that compensation.

OLYMPIA— A number of Attorney General Rob McKenna’s legislative priorities have survived the March 12 deadline to move out of the legislative house of origin and are scheduled for public hearings next week.

Community Safety – Digital Forensic Crime Lab

OLYMPIA—The Washington State Supreme Court this afternoon granted a stay in the March 13 scheduled execution of convicted murderer Cal Coburn Brown, pending the outcome of the consolidated case in Thurston County Superior Court, Darold R.J. Stenson v. Eldon Vail, et al. which is scheduled for May 2009.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Holly Washa," said Attorney General Rob McKenna. "This ruling merely delays the execution of Cal Coburn Brown. We believe the trial court will rule the state’s lethal injection protocol is constitutional.”

OLYMPIA—Convicted murderer Cal Coburn Brown has filed a motion for discretionary review with the Washington State Supreme Court seeking to prevent his scheduled execution on the morning of March 13.

The Attorney General’s Office will file its response this evening. It is anticipated the Supreme Court will issue its ruling tomorrow.

The Washington State Clemency & Pardons Board will hear Brown’s request for clemency tomorrow at its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at 1 p.m.

-30 -