Notoriously dishonest initiative promoter Tim Eyman must turn over tax returns, bank statements, and other records requested by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office within the next two weeks, Snohomish County Court Judge Ellen Fair decided today, ordering that Eyman comply with Ferguson’s lawfully issued subpoenas.

Ferguson’s office has been seeking the records for months so it can investigate serious violations of Washington’s public disclosure laws uncovered during a multiyear Public Disclosure Commission investigation of Eyman’s finances, which was referred to Ferguson’s office last autumn.

Ferguson’s probe has been stalled due to a lack of cooperation by Eyman and his associates, which prompted the filing of petitions in Snohomish and Thurston Superior Courts. At the time those petitions were filed, NPI called on Eyman to stop stonewalling and comply with the Attorney General’s subpoenas.

That has still not happened (Eyman’s attorney Mark Lamb’s response to the petitions was to declare that he was “happy to litigate” the issue), but hopefully it will very soon now that Judge Fair has issued her order.

“We welcome this important development and thank Attorney General Ferguson for going to court to hold Tim Eyman accountable and get this investigation moving,” said Northwest Progressive Institute founder and Executive Director Andrew Villeneuve, who has been organizing opposition to Eyman initiatives for more than fourteen years.

“Tim Eyman has operated for years as though the law simply doesn’t apply to him. He has pretended to be interested in cooperating with this investigation while stalling, obfuscating, and delaying at every turn. Enough! It’s time for the stonewalling to end. We hope that Judge Fair got Eyman’s attention today when she ordered him to pay the State of Washington for the costs of bringing this action. It’s about time Tim Eyman started paying a price for repeatedly wasting the people’s time and money.”