Other LanguagesAttorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Denver-based collection agency Machol & Johannes must return approximately $475,000 to as many as 5,000 Washington consumers, and forgive up to $250,000 in fees and costs for hundreds more to resolve Ferguson’s lawsuit over the company’s unlawful debt collection practices. In addition, the debt collector will pay $414,000 to the Attorney General’s Office to cover the costs of the investigation.
TACOMA — Today the Washington Attorney General filed felony charges against three Tacoma Police Department officers involved in the homicide of Manuel Ellis. The Attorney General charged Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins with Second-Degree Murder and Timothy Rankine with First-Degree Manslaughter. Attorney General Ferguson filed the charges in Pierce County Superior Court.
SEATTLE — The Attorney General’s Office will announce a charging decision in its review of the death of Manuel Ellis on Thursday, May 27.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit against Landmark Technology A for its predatory “patent troll” practices that harm small businesses. Landmark unlawfully sent threatening letters in bad faith to over a thousand small businesses nationwide. In the letters, it demanded $65,000 in patent licensing fees. When five Washington small businesses refused to pay, Landmark sued them. The businesses settled to avoid the expense of a lawsuit.
OLYMPIA — The Attorney General’s review of the Manuel Ellis case remains on track with the publicly announced timeline, with a charging decision to come later this month.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed a lawsuit against travel insurance company Allianz over its discriminatory practice of categorically denying insurance claims for Washingtonians who had to cancel or reschedule their travel plans because of mental health events.
OLYMPIA — In recognition of the National Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women Day of Remembrance, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that his office will lead a 21-member task force to assess systemic causes behind the high rate of disappearances and murders of Indigenous women.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson urges consumers to be on the lookout for websites posing as the state’s health insurance marketplace.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson offered the following statement on criminal penalties for simple drug possession:
The Washington Legislature today passed the Consumer Protection Improvement Act, an attorney general-request bill that increases the maximum civil penalties for Consumer Protection Act violations from $2,000 to $7,500. This bill will update these penalties for the first time since they were adopted in 1970. Strong consumer protection penalties provide accountability, deter future violations and ensure a level playing field for business.