Olympia - January 19, 2001 - The state Attorney General's Office filed suit today against Spokane County Assessor Sadie Charlene Cooney for illegally using county facilities and her staff to campaign for re-election in 1998.

SEATTLE - Aug. 22, 2000 - Washington state Attorney General Christine Gregoire today announced the settlement of a lawsuit against the nation’s largest sweepstakes operator, Publisher's Clearinghouse.

It is the latest in a series of settlements aimed at ending deceptive sales practices that Gregoire contends target the elderly.

SEATTLE - Oct. 5, 2000 - Two Seattle-area companies that allegedly sold "get rich quick" investment advice not backed up by results will discontinue deceptive practices and pay millions of dollars back to consumers. Those terms were agreed to by Wade Cook Financial Corporation and Wade Cook Seminars Inc., in consent decrees signed with Washington state and the Federal Trade Commission.

Seattle - March 8, 2001- A nearly two-year state effort to reform the nation's sweepstakes industry concluded today with a settlement that will require the Reader's Digest Association to pay approximately $200,000 in restitution to Washington consumers.

The settlement by the District of Columbia and 32 states-including Washington-also will require Reader's Digest to make dramatic changes in the way it uses sweepstakes promotions as a sales tool.

The changes already are in place for other major sweepstakes companies that settled with the states last year.

Olympia -- For the third year in a row, the communications industry, which includes telecommunications and on-line services, accounted for the most complaints received by the Attorney General's office last year.

"Once again, growth in the communications industry was a double-edged sword for consumers in the year 2000," said Attorney General Christine Gregoire. "Rapidly expanding Internet services and red hot competition in the local and long-distance telephone industry have created both amazing opportunities and unrivaled problems for consumers."

OLYMPIA- 2/27/02 - An agreement between Citibank and several states, including Washington, will result in new restrictions on the use of personal financial information that the bank shares with direct marketers, Attorney General Christine Gregoire announced today.

SEATTLE -Jan. 18, 2002 - The Attorney General's Office today issued negligent driving citations against the drivers of two vans that crashed south of Spokane last February, killing two members of a touring Chinese dance troupe and injuring 23 others.

The decision followed a lengthy review in which state attorneys considered whether to file felony vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges.

OLYMPIA- - January 16, 1997 - Attorney General Christine Gregoire and 21 other states today announced an agreement with Circuit City requiring the Virginia-based company to use guidelines to protect consumers from misleading and deceptive "Zero Interest" advertisements.

"Many retailers use big bold headlines to advertise zero interest payments and don't ever list the terms and conditions that apply," said Attorney General Christine Gregoire. "That puts the consumer in an unfair and uninformed position and that's a clear violation of the Consumer Protection Act."

Olympia - - The U. S. Supreme Court is reviewing a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in a case that casts doubt on the constitutionality of the state’s Sexually Violent Predator Law as it applies to a 10-year resident of the state’s Special Commitment Center (SCC) for sex offenders.

OLYMPIA - Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire and State Health Officer Dr. Maxine Hayes today warned consumers about Internet sites that are using the public’s fear of anthrax to sell antibiotics without a physician’s prescription.

"It is hard to believe but some online companies are attempting to use the anthrax attacks as an opportunity to make a fast buck," Gregoire said. "Consumers must be aware that their health and pocketbooks are at risk."