Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson was the guest speaker at the July 17 meeting of the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary Club. Invited guests included Kingston Kiwanians. Ferguson explained that he was formerly a member of the King County, WA Council. In that role, he frequently interacted with members of the community. Such is not the case in his current role. So, to meet, and learn from, members of communities across the state, he has made it his mission to visit Rotary clubs. To date, he has visited some 163 of them. He explained that the Attorney General’s office is the legal firm for the state, serving its agencies and its people. It provides legal advice to state agencies and legal representation to state residents in cases such as consumer protection. Consumer protection is self-funding as all money recovered in the form of settlements and jury awards is returned to the agency and the state. The largest such suit, against opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharmaceuticals, is pending trial next February. Ferguson noted there is a twenty-seven day supply of opioids for every man, woman, and child in the state. More than six-hundred lawyers work in thirteen offices around the state, more than one-hundred of whom work solely on child neglect and abuse.
