The state of Washington and the City of Seattle filed separate lawsuits today against Purdue Pharma, maker of controversial opioid pain medication OxyContin, alleging that the drug company lied to doctors, regulators, and the public about the efficacy and safety of a drug that many place at the center of the ongoing opioid epidemic. [More]
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Washington State: Any Trump Administration Crackdown On Marijuana Would Be “Unacceptable”
By 8.4.17
Washington state was one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, and now has quite a bit to lose if the Trump administration chooses to crack down on states with retail pot operations. With U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions hinting that federal intervention may be in the offing, his counterpart in Olympia is drawing a line in the soil, saying that any effort by the White House to interfere with the state’s marijuana regulations would be “unacceptable.” [More]
City Leaders Call “Shenanigans” In Battle Between Pot Store & Dubious Arcade
By 6.16.17
As more states legalize recreational marijuana, regulators face a steep learning curve when it comes to rules on when and where pot retailers can set up shop. For example, it might make sense to restrict marijuana sellers from operating near places where you’ll find lots of kids, but could that same rule be gamed just to prevent a retailer from opening a legal business? [More]
Governors Ask Attorney General To Leave Their Legal Marijuana Alone
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
While federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are pushing for legislation to reform marijuana laws, the executive branch of the government has given every indication of a coming crackdown on recreational marijuana, even in states where it’s now legal. The governors of the first four states to legalize pot are now asking the White House to respect their states’ voters and not return weed to the dark ages. [More]
Costco Gives Shopper New Pants After Phone Catches Fire In Pocket
By 3.17.17
It must be terrifying and possibly humiliating to have your phone suddenly start smoking and catch fire in your pocket, causing you to ditch your pants in the middle of a store. At least one Costco shopper in Washington got a free pair of pants out of the ordeal. [More]
Soon-To-Be Proposed Sugary Drink Tax In Seattle Won’t Apply To Starbucks
By 2.23.17 — Updated: 6.7.17
Seattle could soon be joining the ranks of Philadelphia, Chicago, Boulder, CO, Albany and Berkeley, CA, and a handful of other cities in charging consumers a little extra when they purchase a sugary drink. But the home of Starbucks will reportedly provide some relief for java lovers, as coffee shops will be exempt from a proposed rule on sweet beverages.
[More]
5-Hour Energy Ordered To Pay $4.3 Million For Deceptive Ads
By 2.8.17
Four months after a Washington state court ruled that the maker of the popular 5-Hour Energy drink had misled consumers into believing that its product was superior to caffeine, the judge has ordered the company to pay a total of $4.3 million. [More]
Student Loan Giant Navient Sued By CFPB & Two States Over Alleged Illegal Practices
By 1.18.17
Eighteen months after Sallie Mae spin-off Navient revealed that its wholly-owned subsidiary Navient Solutions Inc could one day be on the receiving end of a federal lawsuit related to its student loans servicing practices, the day has come to pass. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, along with two states, filed lawsuits against the nation’s largest student loan company for allegedly cheating borrowers out of repayment rights. [More]
Comcast Unable To Shut Down Lawsuit Over “Deceptive” Service Protection Plans & Fees
By 12.27.16
In August, Washington state sued Comcast, alleging that the cable giant had deceived hundreds of thousands of customers in the state about an add-on service intended to cover the cost of service calls. Comcast later sought to have the case dismissed, calling it a “profound mischaracterization” of the company’s business practices, but the court recently allowed the matter to move forward over Comcast’s objections. [More]
State Files Consumer Protection Lawsuit Against Man Accused Of Using Facebook To Trick Women Into Sex
By 12.21.16
Washington state prosecutors are using state consumer protection laws to go after a man — already facing multiple criminal charges of rape — that they claim spent years misleading women about his job, and even his gender, with the goal of misleading women into sleeping with him in exchange for a non-existent shot at stardom. [More]
State Sues Monsanto For Decades Of Alleged PCB Pollution
By 12.8.16 — Updated: 12.9.16
The federal government banned the use and production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 1979 after determining the chemicals are toxic. However, the state of Washington alleges that Monsanto knew as early as 1937 that the PCBs it produced were dangerous, but that company continued to allow them to pollute the state’s waterways. [More]
The Beer Industry Is Taking A Hit Because Of Legal Marijuana
By 12.6.16
When it comes time to kick back on the couch and get your buzz on, a new study says consumers in states with legal marijuana may be reaching for the bong instead of a beer. [More]
3 Things To Know About Running A Multi-State Legal Marijuana Business
By 11.10.16
This week brought legalized recreational marijuana to a number of new states, including California and Nevada. With non-medical adult use of pot already legal in Washington and Oregon, this creates a geographically contiguous bloc of four states where marijuana and THC-infused products could be sold. Any enterprising pot entrepreneur would drool over the idea of being able to produce, ship, and sell to all of these people but creating a legal, multi-state weed empire is not easy. [More]
5-Hour Energy Loses One Deceptive Advertising Case; Wins Another
By 10.10.16
More than two years ago, the attorneys general for Washington and Oregon each filed separate (but very similar) deceptive advertising claims against the makers of the popular 5-Hour Energy drinks, alleging that the ads misled consumers into believing that doctors recommend the product, and that the combination of ingredients provides some sort of benefit that is superior to just drinking coffee. In the last few days, judges in both those cases came to very different decisions. [More]
Job Listings, Tax Collection Give Away Amazon Plans For Stores In Boston, Washington D.C.
By 9.21.16
After starting in Seattle and San Diego, slowly coming to the parts of the country that face the Pacific, Amazon seems ready to head east. Recent developments in Beantown and our nation’s capital indicate that the massive online retailer seems ready to build new brick-and-mortar stores on the more Atlantic side of things. [More]
Washington State Suing Comcast For “Deceptive” Service Protection Plans & Fees
By 8.1.16
Accusing the nation’s largest cable company of “engaging in a pattern of deceptive practices” affecting nearly 500,000 people who signed up for a plan intended to cover most service calls, the Washington state attorney general’s office has filed suit against Comcast. [More]
Scammer Must Repay $7.75M For Running Bogus Prayer Center & Consumer Complaint Service
By 3.17.16
When facing times of trouble, some people choose to believe in the power of prayer. Others put more trust in their ability to file an official complaint. A Seattle-based scam artist apparently figured he would cover all his bases, operating a trio of bogus companies covering everything from religion to consumer gripes. [More]
Washington Law Would Let Counties Sell Broadband Service When Comcast Won’t
By 1.26.16
Last year, we told you about Seth, who had recently relocated to Washington only to find out he might have to sell his new house because Comcast had lied to him about being able to provide the Internet connection he needs for his home office. And even though the county runs a high-speed fiber network not far from his property, current state law restricts consumers from buying access to that service. Recently proposed state legislation hopes to right that wrong and give counties the ability to serve residents when Comcast and others refuse to. [More]
