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Dear Friends,
Protecting Washingtonians is our top priority.
In the past two months, we launched a helpline for youth in crisis, announced the first step of our Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents Hotline, and won major cases that will aid survivors of sexual assault and improve treatment for individuals who need help recovering from opioid addiction.
These are the highlights - and they are just a few examples of the great work my team is engaged in every day to keep Washingtonians safe and protect your freedoms. Not only are the attorneys in my office working hard for Washingtonians, we have a professional staff of more than 1,000 employees who do groundbreaking policy work, provide critical support to our legal work and more. All of them are committed every day to protecting the health and safety of Washingtonians.
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We launched HearMeWA, a first-of-its-kind statewide reporting system exclusively focused on the safety and well-being of young people. HearMeWA removes barriers to help young Washingtonians get the help they need to deal with their most pressing challenges: bullying, social pressures, suicidal thoughts, threats of violence or anything that makes life hard. HearMeWA makes it easy to connect youth to a wide range of existing support services by offering a direct line to a national crisis center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Anyone with information about potential risks to the safety or well-being of youth can call the toll-free, statewide number at 888-537-1634 or make a report online by visiting HearMeWA.org and clicking the "send a tip" button. Youth can also text HearMeWA to 738477, or file a report on the app available in the app store on their mobile device. You can watch the press conference announcing HearMeWA here: https://tvw.org/video/attorney-general-bob-ferguson-press-conference-2024061227/
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I announced the three counties that will test a pilot version of a hotline to help combat hate crimes and bias incidents: Clark, King and Spokane counties. The ripples of harm from hate crimes and bias incidents extend beyond the victims who are directly impacted. There is no place for hate in our communities. This pilot will set the foundation for a first-of-its-kind centralized, statewide resource for Washingtonians to report hate crimes and bias incidents. The hotline will help victims of hate crimes and bias incidents find culturally appropriate resources and support. We are still in the early stages of the project. I'm looking for Washingtonians to join an advisory committee to help design the hotline and advise on outreach and services. You can learn more about the hotline, including how to get involved, here: https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-will-pilot-hate-crimes-hotline-clark-king-and-spokane-counties.
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My civil rights team held two companies accountable for egregious sexual harassment and sexual assault of women workers and patrons. First, a jury found a veterans nonprofit and its founder and CEO liable for pervasive and ongoing sexual harassment of women at Operation Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid's two thrift stores: the Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store in Wenatchee and the Veterans Thrift Store in Kennewick. The jury ordered the defendants to pay nearly $1.5 million to the victims of the harassment as a result of our civil rights lawsuit. The CEO discriminated against and harassed 12 women who worked, volunteered or shopped at the stores. Lawson also retaliated against employees who tried to complain. You can read more about the case here (the linked press release describes details of sexual assaults): https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-jury-orders-wenatchee-kennewick-veterans-nonprofit-ceo-pay-15m
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Also in June, Pasco-based Greenridge Farming and Baker Produce paid $470,000 to resolve our civil rights lawsuit over multiple allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment of female farmworkers by a supervisor for one of the companies. The companies also retaliated against the farmworkers when they spoke out. All of the money garnered in the resolution went to the four women who reported the assaults, harassment and retaliation. Read more about the case here (the linked press release describes details of sexual assaults): https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/pasco-companies-pay-470000-over-sexual-abuse-harassment-female-farmworkers-ag
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The state Supreme Court ruled that my office has the authority to pursue legal action to protect the civil and constitutional rights of Washingtonians. Specifically, the court found that my office can challenge a pattern of unlawful evictions carried out by law enforcement officers in the City of Sunnyside. Our 2020 lawsuit asserts Sunnyside abused its Crime-Free Rental Housing Program by forcing more than 40 tenants out of their homes, without a court order, over unsubstantiated claims of crime or nuisance and with little or no notice. This caused many to become homeless and most were Latinx, women or families with children. The Supreme Court's decision sends our case back to Yakima County for further proceedings. More about the decision here: https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/state-supreme-court-state-attorney-general-can-challenge-local-government
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In mid-June, opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson made a $123.34 million lump-sum payment to state, city and county governments in Washington as a result of my office's lawsuit. I directed the funds must be used to combat the opioid epidemic and that 50% of these resources, $61.67 million, go to local governments across the state to combat the epidemic in their communities. The other half goes to the Legislature for statewide efforts to fight opioids and fentanyl. These funds are part of the $1.1 billion my office won in litigation against companies that fueled the opioid epidemic, and we are not done. You can see a chart of what your local government will receive from the $1.1 billion here: https://agportal-s3bucket.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Updated%20local%20government%20payments%20-2024-04-22.xlsx?VersionId=.soWB.muKVIGuovy9CfiHY9rjl7i4XW
Thanks for following the work of my office. Have a wonderful July 4th!
Sincerely,
Bob Ferguson
Washington State Attorney General
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