A Washington state judge has ruled the Grocery Manufacturers Association violated state law when it didn't fully disclose which companies contributed to an effort to defeat a ballot initiative calling for labels on genetically modified foods, the Seattle Times reported.

In a pretrial ruling, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Anne Hirsch rejected GMA's arguments that the law in question was constitutionally vague. She concluded the association "intentionally took steps to create and then hide the true source of the funds" used to campaign against the ballot measure.

At issue is $11 million GMA raised to defeat the 2013 initiative, which was soundly rejected by Washington voters. The association ultimately disclosed which companies contributed to the campaign, but State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that disclosure came too little, too late.

Ferguson is asking the court to impose a fine of at least $14 million on GMA, the newspaper reported. Hirsch did not decide on a penalty in her ruling, saying the amount should be determined in a jury trial.

In a statement, Ferguson said the ruling sends the message that "big money donors cannot evade Washington law and hide from public scrutiny. My office will hold you accountable."

For its part, GMA argued the decision "will hurt the constitutionally protected right of trade associations to engage in political debate in the state." http://bit.ly/1Lmi0zD

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