As we head into a new year, I want to thank you for your support. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as Attorney General and I look forward to what 2022 brings.
I put together my “Top 10” list of significant wins in 2021 for my last Zoom of the year. Several supporters asked if I would send the list around. We had so many wins that it’s hard to remember them all! In fact, a supporter reminded me that I overlook our big victory against the Federal government to preserve the National Archives in Washington state.
So here’s my “Top 10” list for 2021:
10. On Donald Trump’s last full day in office we defended the climate by winning a lawsuit in federal court that struck down his Dirty Power Plan. Trump’s own EPA admitted that his pro-coal plan would have resulted in thousands more illnesses and deaths per year.
9. We proved Tim Eyman violated campaign finance laws. The judge said “it would be difficult for the Court to conceive of a case with misconduct that is more egregious or extensive,” and ordered Eyman to pay $5.4 million. He has already paid in excess of half a million dollars. He can no longer control the finances of any initiative campaign.
8. We won the landmark civil rights “Arlene’s Flowers” case, which establishes equality for all LGBTQ+ Washingtonians. In this case, a flower shop refused to sell wedding flowers to a man for his same sex wedding.
7. I proposed a bill with a group of legislators that requires every law enforcement agency in our state to make public key details regarding any use of deadly force by law enforcement. This important reform bill passed with bipartisan support.
6. My civil rights team took the GEO Corporation (owners of a for profit detention facility in Tacoma) to court for paying workers less than $1 an hour, in clear violation of minimum wage laws. A federal judge and jury ordered GEO to pay $17 million in back pay to workers who were not fairly compensated and nearly $6 million in additional profits it gained by exploiting these workers. The court also ordered GEO to pay another $4.5 million to repay taxpayers for the cost of bringing the case against it.
5. We put a stop to Greyhound’s failure to warn its customers that it was routinely allowing warrantless and suspicionless immigration enforcement on its buses – and made them pay millions of dollars to compensate Washingtonians harmed by these actions.
4. We defended Governor Inslee's emergency health-precautions in court, to keep us healthy and safe during this pandemic. We won every anti-public health lawsuit in courts across the state, including a recent case brought by fringe Republican lawmakers.
3. We defeated the LuLaRoe pyramid scheme in court, and won more than $4 million for Washingtonians who were deceived by their unlawful business practices. This case was featured in the popular documentary series LuLaRich.
2. We successfully defended the Affordable Care Act in the U.S. Supreme Court, in partnership with other state Attorneys General. We took this fight all the way to the Supreme Court — and won. This important victory protects health care for 825,000 Washingtonians, including tens of thousands of Washingtonians with preexisting conditions. It also prevented hundreds of thousands of seniors on Medicare from dramatic price increases on prescription drugs.
1. We led the legal challenge to defeat the deal granting the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, a lifetime legal shield for their role fueling the opioid epidemic – and won in federal court. This is a massive win for Washingtonians and all Americans.
My team is busier than ever defending our values and upholding the rule of law. I will continue taking on big fights on behalf of Washingtonians.
Thank you again for your support. Happy New Year!
Bob
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