SEATTLE - October 8, 1997 - In an agreement negotiated by the Attorney General's Office, Vacation Time Worldwide will reimburse consumers who purchased travel club memberships and have not received their promised vacations. The Bellevue travel club has established a $100,000 trust fund to cover the reimbursement costs.

Olympia - May 29, 2001 - The U.S. Supreme Court today decided not to review a case brought by three University of Washington Law School applicants who claimed that a former school admissions policy encouraging racial diversity discriminated against them on the basis of race.

Seattle -September 22, 2000 - US Bank has agreed in a settlement not to share their customers' personal financial information with bank affiliates or other businesses until consumers are given the opportunity to keep the information confidential, Attorney General Christine Gregoire said today.

"Consumers trust banks with their money," Gregoire said. "In exchange, banks should respect the privacy of consumers' credit cards, Social Security numbers and other personal financial information. Unfortunately, that's all too often not the case."

Seattle -August 3, 1999 - Washington State Attorney General Christine Gregoire today filed action against Ultima Systems, Inc. of Bothell for continuing to violate a 1997 consent decree and simultaneously filed a new lawsuit against a related travel marketer, Vacation Marketing Systems, Inc. of Lynnwood.

"The business name may have changed but the deception is the same," said Gregoire. "Vacation Marketing appears to have stepped right in and picked up where Ultima left off."

OLYMPIA -March 17, 2000 -A Bothell travel company will have to pay $90,000 in immediate restitution to consumers for continuing violations of an agreement to stop deceptive practices in the sale of travel club memberships in Washington and Oregon.

February 3, 1997 - SEATTLE -- The Washington Attorney General's Office today announced that Ultima Travel Inc., of Bothell and Lynnwood has set aside $100,000 to reimburse consumers who never received services or discounts promised by the club.

SPOKANE - Aug. 24, 2001 - The Washington state Attorney General's office went to court today to prevent a New Jersey man from seeking investors in phony devices that he claims provide free or low-cost power.

In papers filed in Spokane County Superior Court, state attorneys are seeking a court order that bars Dennis Lee and his company, United Community Services of America, from soliciting money, monetary investment or financial commitments from consumers at a sales presentation scheduled for Aug. 28 at a Spokane hotel.

Seattle - Legal victories scored by the Attorney General’s Office in two consumer-protection cases this week resulted in a total of $3.6 million in penalties and fees against the owner of a now-defunct computer company and an Everett-based distributor of unsolicited junk faxes, Attorney General Christine Gregoire said.

On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein granted summary judgment against Tri-Star Marketing of Everett and its owner, Dary G. Riedlinger. She ordered the defendants to pay nearly $2.1 million in damages, penalties and fees to the state.

Olympia - July 5, 2000- Funds in the Washington Advanced College Tuition Payment Account may be invested in private corporate stocks, the Attorney General’s Office has concluded.

A formal AGO opinion released today concludes that it is constitutionally permissible for the state Investment Board to invest the tuition money in corporate stocks because the money consists of private funds contributed by families to pay for their children’s future college tuition.

(Note: The "Tuff Customer" page has been removed.)

OLYMPIA - February 17, 2000- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today launched a statewide Internet-based educational initiative to help Washington’s teenagers become smarter consumers.

"Tuff Customer" is a scavenger hunt on the Web that allows teens to uncover answers to consumer-related questions. The questions cover topics of interest to teens, such as mail order music clubs, Internet purchasing, credit cards and buying used vehicles.