Thrift store chain case was no bargain for Washington attorney general; legal fees top $4.2 million
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s long-running legal case against the thrift store chain Savers Value Village turned out to be no bargain, as the state has been ordered to pay the company nearly $4.3 million in legal fees
SEATTLE — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's long-running legal case against the thrift store chain Savers Value Village turned out to be no bargain, as the state has been ordered to pay the company nearly $4.3 million in legal fees.
King County Superior Court Judge David Whedbee issued the award on Tuesday, eight months after the state Supreme Court unanimously rejected the attorney general's claims that marketing practices by the thrift store chain were deceptive. The judge called the state's lawsuit “needless."
“Defending and fully prevailing in this lawsuit was burdensome and costly,” Richard Medway, Savers Value Village general counsel, said in an emailed statement. “But the result underscored the many positive aspects of our unique business model, which benefits the environment, consumers, and our many nonprofit partners.”
Savers Value Village, which is based in Bellevue, Washington, and operates more than 300 stores in the U.S., Canada and Australia, said it would donate more than $1 million of the award to charities.
The attorney general’s office began investigating the company in late 2014 and, after Savers Value Village declined to pay millions of dollars to settle the investigation, Ferguson — a Democrat who is now running for governor — sued.
The state alleged that the thrift chain had created an impression that it was a nonprofit or charitable organization and that purchases at its stores directly benefited charities.
In reality, it’s a for-profit company that pays
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