The national chain Motel 6 agreed Thursday to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Washington state claiming names of hotel guests were improperly provided to immigration officials for two years, the state attorney general said.
The information led to targeted investigations by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who went after people with Latino-sounding names, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.
Some people staying at seven Motel 6 locations in the state were detained or deported, he said.
“Motel 6’s actions tore families apart and violated the privacy rights of tens of thousands of Washingtonians,” Ferguson said in a statement. “Our resolution holds Motel 6 accountable for illegally handing over guests’ private information without a warrant.”
Amazon’s Bezos finalizes divorce
Amazon said Thursday that founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has finalized his divorce with wife MacKenzie, who will end up with a stake in the online shopping giant worth more than $35 billion.
In a tweet, MacKenzie Bezos said she is giving Jeff Bezos all her interest in The Washington Post, the newspaper that he bought in 2013, and Blue Origin, the space exploration company he founded.
“I’m grateful for her support and for her kindness in this process,” Jeff Bezos said in a tweet Thursday. “And am very much looking forward to our new relationship as friends and co-parents.”
The Bezoses, who have four children, first announced they were divorcing in January, just before the National Enquirer published a story that said Jeff Bezos was having an affair with a former TV host.
When the divorce is complete, which is expected to happen in about 90 days, MacKenzie Bezos will have a 4 percent stake in Amazon. Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, will have a 12 percent stake in the company, valued at more than $108 billion on Thursday.
Mortgage rates edge up slightly
U.S. long-term mortgage rates moved little this week after the key 30-year loan rate marked its steepest weekly drop in a decade the week before.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage ticked up to 4.08 perrcent from 4.06 percent – which had plunged from 4.28 percent last week. The average rate on the benchmark loan stood at 4.40 percent a year ago.
The average rate this week for 15-year, fixed-rate home loans slipped to 3.56 percent from 3.57 percent last week.
Judge gives Musk 2 weeks to settle
A judge urged the Securities and Exchange Commission and Tesla CEO Elon Musk Thursday to amicably settle their dispute over his tweets or she’ll decide whether to grant the regulatory agency’s request that the outspoken boss face escalating fines if he breaks its rules protecting investors.
SEC attorney Cheryl Crumpton recommended that U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan fine Musk if she finds him in contempt for violating a deal with the SEC that requires him to clear tweets that might disclose important company facts with lawyers.
At the end of the hearing, the judge ordered both sides to try to negotiate a resolution over the next two weeks as she expressed reluctance to rule unless she must, calling contempt findings “serious business.”
“Everybody take a deep breath, put your reasonableness pants on and work this out,” Nathan said.