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Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Nick Brown

AG's Office Recommends Denial of US West-Qwest Merger

Olympia - February 1, 2000 - The Attorney General's Office today recommended that the proposed merger between US West and Qwest Communications be denied unless strong service quality conditions are imposed.

According to written testimony filed with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), the Attorney General's Public Counsel Office has concluded that US West is "substantially out of compliance" with most Washington service-quality rules. In addition, "customer complaints are high and service-quality trends are not favorable," the testimony stated.

Malarky Named Head of Executive Ethics Board

Olympia - Sept. 22, 2000 - Brian Malarky has been named executive director of the Washington State Executive Ethics Board by Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

Malarky, who currently is an investigator with the city of Seattle’s Ethics and Elections Commission, will assume his new post on Oct. 19.

The Executive Ethics Board provides training to executive branch employees, conducts investigations of alleged ethics violations, and offers guidance on ethics compliance.

Statement from Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire Regarding the Madison County Court Ruling on the Philip Morris Appeal Bond

Olympia -- The judge exercised his option to balance important interests in setting the appeal bond. As we suggested to the court, the new appeal bond will avoid adverse impact on the states and still be sufficient to protect the interests of Illinois consumers.

The Judge accepted an appeal bond of $6.8 billion which includes a $6 billion note and $800 million cash to be paid in $200 million quarterly payments beginning in September 2003.

AG Reaches Agreement with Travel Company Spokesperson Robin Leach

Seattle -June 19, 2000- Robin Leach, host of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," has settled a lawsuit with Washington and 11 other states over his role as spokesperson for a travel service whose "dream vacations" proved to be nightmares for some consumers.

"Next time Robin Leach puts his name behind a vacation package, promising caviar wishes and champagne dreams, he’d better know those promises are true," said Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

AG's Office Settles Lawsuit with Intercity Transit

Olympia - May 12, 2000 - Three Intercity Transit employees and its board today agreed to settle for $60,000, a lawsuit that alleged they violated state laws.

The lawsuit alleged the defendants, collectively and individually, used the facilities of Intercity Transit – including public funds, employee labor, transit facilities and vendor/consultant contracts to promote a March 9, 1999 sales-tax ballot measure. The measure would have increased Thurston County’s sales tax to fund Intercity Transit operations and offset budget deficits.

State Asks President to Protect Sound in Wake of Intertanko Decision

Olympia- March 22, 2000 - Governor Gary Locke and Attorney General Christine Gregoire today asked President Clinton to direct the Coast Guard to adopt new federal regulations protecting Puget Sound from oil spills.

The request came after the U.S. Supreme Court on March 6 struck down important provisions of Washington’s regulations on oil tankers that use Puget Sound and other state waters. The protections were designed to prevent environmental disasters such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

State Files Suit Against Insurers

Olympia Ð November 28, 2000 - The State of Washington today filed suit against six foreign insurance companies that have refused to reimburse the state for their share of the cost of settling the Linda David case.

The suit claims the companies breached a contract by refusing to pay the state $3.8 million in costs arising from the David settlement last August. The total settlement cost was $8.8 million.

Notice of Appeal Filed in I-695 Case

Olympia -March 17, 2000- The Attorney General’s Office today filed a formal notice appealing the March 14 ruling that declared Initiative 695 unconstitutional.

The notice seeks to bypass the Washington Court of Appeals and have the Washington Supreme Court review the decision directly. Oral arguments before the Supreme Court are now expected at the end of June.

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