Washington

City ordered to pay $50K in attorney fees in case over police shooting of family’s pet dog

A small city in Washington state has been ordered by a federal judge to pay $50,000 in attorney’s fees to the prevailing plaintiffs in a federal civil rights suit over the fatal police shooting of their pet dog. Charles and Deirdre Wright had earlier settled with the city of Des…

Apr 24, 2013 3:38 PM CDT

Bill would have judges draw straws to shrink Washington Supreme Court

A Washington state lawmaker who is unhappy with recent rulings by the state supreme court has introduced a bill to shrink its size by four justices. Which of the court’s nine justices would lose their jobs? The answer would be determined at a public meeting in which all the justices…

Mar 7, 2013 1:31 PM CST

‘You don’t need a peg leg or an eye patch’ to be sued under piracy law, says 9th Circuit

Reversing an earlier decision by a federal district court judge in Seattle, a federal appeals court has given the green light to a lawsuit brought by Japanese whalers against a U.S. activist group known for its aggressive anti-whaling tactics and put a new trial court judge in charge of the…

Feb 27, 2013 4:05 PM CST

Town to pay $51K to settle federal suit over police shooting of dog

A small town in Washington state has agreed to pay at least $51,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over the death of a 115-pound dog shot to death by police. A neighbor, concerned about the well-being of Rosie, a Newfoundland, called Des Moines police after the friendly pet…

Feb 22, 2013 3:43 PM CST

Spit-laced burger is grounds for emotional distress suit, state supreme court says

A sheriff’s deputy who claims he was served–but did not eat–a spit-laced burger can sue the burger maker under state product liability law for emotional distress, the Washington Supreme Court has held. The court, in a 6-3 decision (PDF) Thursday, said state law permits relief for emotional distress damages, in…

Feb 4, 2013 7:09 PM CST

Authorities Serve Search Warrant at Former Law Office of Attorney Charged in Rape Case

A Seattle attorney accused of raping several massage therapists has voluntarily provided a DNA sample and a search warrant has been served on his former law firm. The warrant focused on Danford Grant’s parking records to determine whether he was out of the office at the time of the alleged…

Jan 2, 2013 4:45 PM CST

As Pot Backers in Washington Celebrate Legalization in Smoky Haze, Seattle US Attorney Has a Warning

Pot smokers in Seattle celebrated a new law legalizing recreational possession of the drug on Thursday with an early morning gathering under the Space Needle. According to Reuters, the celebration took place amid a “haze of pot smoke.” But the Department of Justice doesn’t share in the enthusiasm, the Washington…

Dec 6, 2012 3:06 PM CST

Couple Makes Federal Case Out of Death of Pet Chased and Killed by Police

News that a large dog who had escaped from its family’s yard but reportedly wasn’t acting aggressively had been chased down and shot to death by police in a small city in Washington state elicited community outrage. Not only sympathetic neighbors and pet owners but the mayor and police chief…

Nov 28, 2012 7:34 PM CST

Video: FTC Threatens to Sue Google; Pot Legalization Aftermath; More Law Firm Mega-Mergers to Come?

Editor’s Note: We’re experimenting with using more video on ABAJournal.com and will be bringing you this short weekly legal news brief from Bloomberg Law for the next few weeks. Thanks for the feedback so far. Please note that adding video would not mean eliminating text-based stories. Rather, we’re exploring adding…

Nov 15, 2012 6:24 PM CST

LA Times Unveils Database of Boy Scouts’ Files; Top Oregon Court Order May Spark New Civil Cases

As an Oregon Supreme Court ruling earlier this year took effect on Thursday, making more than 1,200 ‘ineligible volunteer’ files maintained by the Boy Scouts of America public, the Los Angeles Times unveiled a comprehensive database of these files and more. Dating back to material from the late 1940s, and…

Oct 18, 2012 9:00 PM CDT

Spokane Diocese Sues Law Firm That Handled Its Bankruptcy, Seeks $12M Legal Fee Clawback and Damages

Updated: The Catholic Diocese of Spokane has filed a malpractice suit against the law firm that handled its $50 million bankruptcy, contending that the church was ill-served by the strategy Paine Hamblen developed to deal with priest sex-abuse issues. The suit, which was spearheaded by Bishop Blase Cupich after he…

Oct 15, 2012 8:15 PM CDT

Judge Sends Out Court Summonses to 100 Residents Who Failed to Appear for Jury Duty

In 20 years on the bench, a Washington state judge says, he’s never used a court summons and threat of criminal prosecution to deal with jury-service scofflaws. But he’s doing so now, Okanogan County Superior Court Judge Jack Burchard tells the Wenatchee World, because so many county residents feel free…

Oct 11, 2012 3:25 PM CDT

Law Firm Partner Charged with 6 Felonies in Serial Rape Case

A partner in a Seattle law firm being held in lieu of $3 million bail as a suspect in a serial sexual assault case is now facing three first-degree rape charges. Three additional felony charges of second-degree rape, attempted second-degree rape and burglary were also filed Thursday against Danford D.…

Sep 28, 2012 7:26 PM CDT

$3 Million Bail for Seattle Lawyer Suspected in 3 Rapes; Defense Lawyer Calls It a Misunderstanding

Updated: Bail has been set at $3 million for a Seattle lawyer who is suspected in three sexual assaults, two of them at area massage clinics. Formal charges are expected Thursday against Danford D. Grant, a partner at Bailey Grant Onsager in Seattle who once worked at the Seattle City…

Sep 26, 2012 7:23 PM CDT

Prosecutor Quits After Probe of Her Talks with Former Basketball Star Charged in Misdemeanor Case

A Washington state prosecutor who had been on paid administrative leave since May has reportedly resigned from her job as an assistant King County prosecutor. Leah Altaras, 33, had her home, office, car and cellphone searched after a maintenance worker said she was present in the suburban Seattle condominium of…

Sep 14, 2012 4:01 PM CDT