ROWE ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT OF ANTITRUST SUIT AGAINST MANUFACTURER OF GEORGE FOREMAN GRILLS

September 13, 2002

SEPTEMBER 6, 2002 CHRISTINA MOYLAN, Assistant Attorney General 207-626-8800

Attorney General Steven Rowe today announced that Maine and 42 other jurisdictions have settled an antitrust suit against Salton, Inc, for $8.2 million. Salton manufactures the popular George Foreman™ contact grills.

The lawsuit, the result of a two-year investigation, alleges that Salton coerced retailers into fixing the price for Salton's George Foreman™ contact grills, and into excluding Salton's competitors from their shelves. Under the policies challenged by the Attorneys General, when retailers sold at a discount or stocked a competitor's product, Salton suspended the retailer until it fell into line with Salton's policies.

"We are committed to halting corporate misconduct and anticompetitive practices that drive up prices for consumers," stated Assistant Attorney General Christina Moylan, who worked on the case for Maine.

Under the settlement, Salton will pay $8 million in damages, $200,000 in investigative expenses, and notice costs. Salton will also agree to a court-order that prevents it from engaging in similar anti-competitive conduct in the future.

Restitution funds will be distributed to charitable entities and/or government agencies for initiatives to improve health care and nutrition. Specific information about the distribution will be made available in March 2004, when Salton will complete its payments.

Further information on the settlement, including important documents, will be posted on the website of the National Association of Attorneys General, www.naag.org, as soon as it becomes available. Further details should be posted on that website within several days.