Today Steve Rowe was sworn in as Maine's Attorney General for the fourth and final term. Constitutional officers are statutorily prohibited from serving more than four consecutive terms. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and Treasurer David Lemoine were both sworn in for their second term.

"It is with a great deal of pride and gratitude that I begin my fourth and final term as Maine's Attorney General. Serving in this office continues to be one of the highest honors of my life." Rowe stated.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced a $14.5 million, 15‑state settlement with Chase Bank, Chase Home Finance and Trilegiant Corp. that will resolve allegations the companies unlawfully deceived consumers into paying for membership programs that claimed to provide discounts on car and home repair, shopping, and other goods and services.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today filed court papers on behalf of the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) in U.S. District Court in Bangor arguing that the federal government's lawsuit against MPUC should be dismissed because it does not meet the criteria for a federal lawsuit, and it does not involve any secrets, let alone "state secrets."

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced that updates to the Attorney General's website will make it easy for home building and repair contractors to comply with a law that becomes effective today and requires them to include consumer protection information as an addendum to contracts for $3,000 or more.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today released the report he received Saturday from Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Eugene Beaulieu, Attorney Charles Abbott and Attorney Marvin Glazier in response to Rowe's request that they conduct an independent and impartial review of allegations of law enforcement and prosecutorial misconduct in the trial of Dennis Dechaine for the 1988 murder of Sarah Cherry. The report may be accessed at: http://www.maine.gov/ag/dynld/documents/glazierreport.pdf

Attorney General Steven Rowe announced today that the State has entered into a consent decree with The Gentle Wind Project, a Kittery-based charitable organization, and six named defendants (collectively, "GWP") who served as officers or directors for many years. The consent decree resolves violations of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act relating to GWP's claims about its so-called "healing instruments," and violations of law relating to the mismanagement of the charity and its funds by those who held positions of fiduciary responsibility.

Public Safety Commissioner Michael Cantara, Attorney General Steven Rowe and Health and Human Services Commissioner Brenda Harvey today announced a contract with the Maine Sheriffs Association to conduct statewide compliance inspections of retail liquor licensees. The inspections will assure that stores that sell alcoholic beverages comply with the law to ID anyone age 27 or under and refuse sales to anyone under 21 or those that fail to present valid identification.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced that U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret J. Kravchuk has issued a recommended decision upholding the State's prohibition on direct shipment of wine. Oregon winery Cherry Hill Vineyard and Hampden resident Philip Brooks filed a lawsuit challenging the law in U.S. District Court in Maine last year after the U.S. Supreme Court found that New York and Michigan laws violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution by treating direct shipment of wine by in-state wineries differently from those by out-of-state wineries.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced that the Superior Court in Kennebec County has ruled that the Maine Department of Labor can proceed with efforts to collect severance pay for over 1,000 former Great Northern Paper (GNP) workers.

JAttorney General Steven Rowe announced today that his office has filed an action under the Maine Civil Rights Act against Brent Matthews, 33, of Lewiston as a result of Matthews' targeting Somali and Muslim residents by intentionally throwing a frozen pig's head into a mosque located at 21-23 Lisbon Street in Lewiston on July 3, 2006. The complaint alleges that Matthews' action was motivated by his bias against the mosque members for their race, color, ancestry, national origin and religion.