Attorney General Steven Rowe today warned Mainers that professional con artists are using the pretense of a Canadian lottery to bilk Mainers out of thousands of dollars, with a new twist: they send a cashiers check. "IGA Management Payment Systems," which claims to do business from Ottawa, is mailing letters to Maine residents announcing that they have won the "North American Prize Pool." Recipients of the letter are told that they have won over three hundred thousand dollars in cash.

Consumers who purchased the brand-name prescription medication Hytrin are eligible for refunds from a $30.7-million settlement agreement, Attorney General Steven Rowe announced today. The refunds to consumers and health plans in 18 states will be paid by two companies which, the complaint alleged, conspired to engage in anticompetitive conduct that delayed the availability of a more affordable generic version of the medication.

As Eastern Regional Chair of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe organized a methamphetamine (meth) summit in Boston today.

Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe announced today that his office has filed court papers under Maine's Unfair Trade Practices Act against home contractors Mark Smith and David Blais of Livermore who do business as CBS Enterprises. The State is seeking an injunction that will prohibit Smith and Blais from doing any further home contracting in the State of Maine.

Attorney General Steven Rowe is reviewing the Law Court's opinion in Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. v. State of Maine, issued today. The case is about public access to investigative records related to allegations of sexual abuse by eighteen deceased Roman Catholic priests. The Court's opinion is available online at http://www.courts.state.me.us/opinions/2005%20documents/05me56ble.htm.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced that his office has filed a lawsuit under the Maine Civil Rights Act against Jonathan Fuller, 35, of Hallowell. The AG's suit alleges that the defendant verbally berated Eddie Daniels, 46, of Augusta, while Daniels was playing pool at an Augusta night club on March 19, 2004. The suit alleges that Fuller repeatedly directed racially derogatory comments at Daniels, who is African-American, and his companions.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced that his office has filed court papers in Aroostook County Superior Court alleging that a Hodgdon high school student violated the Maine Civil Rights Act when he taunted and attacked a student of Mexican descent. The suit alleges that the defendant, who is a minor, followed the victim through the halls of Hodgdon High School, taunting him with ethnic slurs, and then subsequently attacked him in the school parking lot.

Attorney General Steven Rowe announced today that U.S. District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby has handed Maine an unequivocal win in the case challenging Maine's Unfair Prescription Drug Practices Act (UPDPA). The decision grants the Attorney General's motion for summary judgment and denies the motion for summary judgment filed by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), the national trade association representing pharmaceutical benefits management companies (PBMs).

Attorney General Steven Rowe announced today that his office has filed an action under the Maine Civil Rights Act against Garrett Powell, 22, of Portland and Charles Frechette, 23, of Sebago Lake for their threats against a Somali taxicab driver based on their bias against his race, color or national origin. In court papers filed in Superior Court in Portland, the Attorney General asks the court to enjoin Powell and Frechette from having any contact with the victim and from committing future violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today advised Mainers who took the prescription antidepressant Remeron or its generic equivalent mirtazapine between June 15, 2001, and January 25, 2005, to submit claim forms for possible refunds. Consumers may file claims online at www.RemeronSettlement.com. Paper claim forms can be requested by calling toll free 1-866-401-6807. Online claims must be filed and paper claims must be postmarked by June 13, 2005. The address for returning paper forms is: Remeron Antitrust Settlement, c/o Complete Claim Solutions, Inc., P.O.