SEATTLE - July 20, 1998 -- Two Canadian telemarketers have agreed to cease all operations in the United States and pay $900,000 (Canadian) for allegedly using illegal and deceptive practices when selling foreign lottery tickets to U.S. citizens.

As part of a stipulated judgment, Final Round Services Limited and Golden Packages Limited, both of Vancouver, British Columbia, will pay the money to the Washington Attorney General's Office and the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General for consumer restitution and legal fees.

SEATTLE - February 10, 1999 - The Attorney General's Office today filed Washington's second lawsuit under the state's new junk e-mail law, alleging a Georgia business owner “spammed” Washington computers with unsolicited sales pitches that contained false and misleading information.

The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, alleges Sam Khuri, owner of Benchmark Print Supply in Atlanta, solicits customers over the Internet by using unsolicited e-mail, also known as “spam,” in violation of Washington's junk e-mail law.

Seattle - August 5, 1998 --The Attorney General's Office today filed a lawsuit and a Consent Decree against a San Diego company for allegedly producing misleading home mortgage and loan advertisements that resemble a solicitation from an official government agency.

“Envelopes with an eagle emblem are usually from the Post Office,” said Attorney General Christine Gregoire. “By using the emblem, this company tricked consumers into opening mail that would have otherwise ended up in the trash.”

OLYMPIA - Patients who used the heart and blood pressure medication Cardizem CD or its generic equivalents between 1998-2003 now have until Nov. 15 to file claims seeking reimbursement under a nationwide antitrust settlement with two drug manufacturers.

The deadline has been extended to provide additional time to notify drug users and send them the necessary claim forms. The original deadline was Sept. 23.

SEATTLE - June 11, 1998 - Washington's e-mail users now have some protection against those who inundate their e-mail boxes with junk e-mail. Today Washington's new junk e-mail law went into effect making it illegal to use false or misleading information when sending an unsolicited, commercial e-mail.

OLYMPIA - Washington patients who took the heart and blood-pressure medication Cardizem CD or its generic equivalents between 1998-2003 must file claims by Sept. 23 in order to be eligible for reimbursements under a proposed nationwide antitrust settlement with two drug manufacturers.

About $434,000 could go to an estimated 15,000 Washington residents as the result of a proposed settlement announced last year between the two drug makers and all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

OLYMPIA -- The Washington state Attorney General's Office is warning consumers to be on the watch for con artists who will try to take advantage of the public's good will in this time of national tragedy.

While the office has only had a few complaints so far, it is a good time to remind people about basics tips on how to donate wisely.

People should thoroughly check out charitable solicitations before giving.

Consumers should be aware of certain warning signs before giving.

SEATTLE – Washington residents who paid high prices for a popular heart medication will share nearly $403,000 in refunds from an antitrust case settlement, Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today. The state began mailing checks today to 1,127 consumers.

The payments are the result of a nationwide settlement with two drug companies that made a pact to delay the availability of a generic equivalent of Cardizem CD. Cardizem CD is used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure and heart disease.

SEATTLE - A Missouri company that misled Washington consumers, many of them elderly, into believing they could win big prizes by solving easy puzzles has agreed to offer refunds to consumers and pay the state nearly $50,000 in costs and attorneys fees.
In a consent decree filed today in King County Superior Court, Contest America Publishers agreed to take steps to ensure that consumers who enter its contests understand the rules, including a requirement that they pay additional fees to solve "tie-breaker" puzzles that keep them in the running for valuable prizes.

Seattle - September 22, 1999 - Attorney General Christine Gregoire today announced a lawsuit has been filed against several candy peddlers for violating state child labor laws and coaching children to falsely claim the proceeds from the door-to-door sales are used to support youth programs.

"These are not charities providing drug and crime prevention programs for children," said Gregoire. "These are individuals exploiting children to sell candy for a profit."