Seattle - March 14, 2001 - As western states prepare to endure a summer of tight power supplies, Attorney General Christine Gregoire has asked the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) to require that private electric utilities give price breaks to all consumers who cut power consumption, not just major industrial users.

Olympia - May 22, 2001 - Lacking a legislative resolution, Attorney General Christine Gregoire and Secretary of State Sam Reed today asked a federal judge to impose a temporary alternative to the state's unconstitutional blanket primary.

State attorneys filed the request with U.S. District Judge Frank Burgess under a court deadline for responding to a motion by the political parties to permanently stop the state from holding another blanket primary.

Olympia -May 7, 2001 - Federal regulators who are examining the fairness of wholesale electrical pricing in the West should look at price setting at all times, not just when reserves are small, Washington state Attorney General Christine Gregoire believes.

In papers filed today with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Gregoire said she commends FERC's decision 10 days ago to launch an investigation into wholesale electrical prices throughout the West, but believes its scope is too narrow.

Olympia - April 9, 2001- Attorney General Christine Gregoire issued the following statement today about the Administration’s budget proposal for the cleanup of radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Nuclear Site.

Seattle - March 28, 2001- A suit filed today by the Attorney General's Office alleges an Everett company used deceptive tactics to sell computer equipment on Internet auction sites. The tactics allegedly included using shill bidders to inflate product prices.

The lawsuit, filed in Snohomish County Superior Court, culminates a three-month investigation that started shortly after numerous customers complained that they didn't receive merchandise they'd ordered. The investigation was conducted by the Attorney General's High Tech Unit.

Seattle - 3/13/01- Washington programs that support women's health, safety, educational or vocational needs will receive $673,643 in grants as the result of a settlement in a price-fixing case against New York shoe manufacturer Nine West, Inc.

The state grants are part of a $34 million nationwide settlement reached last spring with the women's shoe manufacturer.

SEATTLE - Sept. 10, 2001 - Attorney General Christine Gregoire today continued her battle against fraud in cyberspace by accusing an Internet-based computer seller of using online auctions to dupe unsuspecting consumers.

In a lawsuit filed in Snohomish County Superior Court, the Attorney General's High-Tech Unit claims Everett resident Hans Nelson used a variety of business names to sell computer equipment through online auctions, but that he didn't deliver the goods.

Nelson is no stranger to Internet-based fraud, state attorneys contend.

Olympia - Feb. 5, 2001 - In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week (Feb. 5 -10) Washington state Attorney General Christine Gregoire today warned consumers to beware of predatory lending practices that could threaten their credit ratings and, in some extreme cases, force them from their homes.

"These predatory loans come in all forms - from sub prime mortgage loans and payday advances to car title loans. What they have in common are exorbitant fees, outrageous interest rates and up front costs that take money from those who can least afford the terms," Gregoire said.

Olympia - March 6, 2000- Attorney General Christine Gregoire and the attorneys general of 49 other states, Washington, D.C. and five territories have reached a $34 million settlement with New York shoe manufacturer Nine West Inc. over allegations of price-fixing.

The settlement, filed today in U. S. District Court in New York, immediately followed the filing of a lawsuit against Nine West in the same court. The settlement resolves the lawsuit, but allows the court to retain jurisdiction over the terms of the agreement. The court will have to approve the agreement.

OLYMPIA - A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today found Washington's blanket primary system unconstitutional.

The 3-0 decision overturned a March 2002 decision by a U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma that the state's primary did not violate the U.S. Constitution by interfering with political parties' First Amendment right of association.