Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is asking a court to rule that the Grocery Manufacturers Association violated the law when it collected more than $11 million to fight a state ballot initiative that would have required labels on genetically modified foods.

Ferguson announced Monday that his office has asked a Thurston County Superior Court judge to grant summary judgment in the case, which was first filed in 2013. Ferguson also is asking the court to unseal confidential GMA documents in what he calls a "landmark case."

"The crux of this case is transparency," Ferguson said. "GMA intentionally shielded from public scrutiny the true identity of the companies who donated millions of dollars to this campaign—it was a flagrant violation of state law."

The attorney general's office alleges that GMA collected funds to fight the ballot initiative without disclosing the true source of the contributions. Two days after the lawsuit was filed, the association reversed course and disclosed its contributors, which included PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Nestle.

GMA has also filed for summary judgment, asking the court to dismiss the case. The group also wants certain records kept confidential. http://1.usa.gov/1QpHgnd

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