Washington

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

Ex-Mariners Star’s Desire for ‘Amazing View’ Puts 20-Year-Old Tree Law in Center Court

A stately Chinese pine is at the center of a tree dispute that could be the first adjudicated under a Seattle suburb’s 20-year-old law intended to help neighbors resolve such issues amicably. It recognizes that neighbors have an interest in sunlight and scenic views that trees may block, the Seattle…

Sep 11, 2012 10:50 PM CDT

Federal Judge Nixes Most of Widow’s Suit re Hiker Killed By Mountain Goat in National Park

Saying that sovereign immunity prevents a widow from holding the government liable for a mountain goat’s fatal attack on her husband while he was hiking at Olympic National Park, a federal judge in Washington state has dismissed all but one of the claims in the multi-milliondollar suit. Park officials’ decision…

Aug 23, 2012 5:21 PM CDT

Candidate for Washington Supreme Court Gets 42 Percent of Vote Despite Lack of Campaign

Seattle lawyer Bruce Danielson managed to win 42 percent of the vote this week in a race for the Washington Supreme Court, even though he didn’t campaign or raise money. Some are questioning whether his strong showing was due to the Hispanic surname of his opponent, Steve Gonzalez, report the…

Aug 10, 2012 11:26 AM CDT

How Is a Children’s Sandbox Different From a Planter? Seattle Forms Task Force to Mull Issue

Cited for putting a four-foot by eight-foot wooden sandbox too close to the street, a Seattle man fought back. Some urged Paulo Nunes-Ueno simply to tell the city the sandbox was a wooden planter, since they are allowed and a neighbor’s nearby planters look much the same, reports the Seattle…

Aug 6, 2012 3:35 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Faces Prostitution-Attempt Charge After Cellphone Search in Domestic Violence Probe

A former Washington state prosecutor is facing a misdemeanor charge of attempting to patronize a prostitute following a search of his cellphone by deputies investigating a domestic violence complaint by his ex-girlfriend. Jeffrey W. Holmes, 31, had worked since 2006 as an assistant Clark County prosecutor and focused on felony…

Jul 25, 2012 10:19 PM CDT

Appeals Court OKs Detective’s Warrantless Use of Suspect’s Seized Cellphone to Text His Contacts

Courts in this country have often equated a cellphone with an address book, as far as listed phone numbers are concerned. And, taking that concept a step further, a number have also OK’d police looking at other information in seized electronic devices. Thus, like the California Supreme Court, appellate courts…

Jul 19, 2012 5:10 PM CDT

How to Meet New Caseload Limit for Wash. Public Defenders? Some Towns May File Fewer Cases

Caseload limits for lawyers representing criminal defendants at public expense are not a new concept. But standards adopted earlier this month by the Washington Supreme Court at the recommendation of the Washington State Bar Association include a mechanism for enforcing them. Those who defend the indigent will have to certify…

Jun 26, 2012 4:57 PM CDT

In Washington State, ‘Legal Technicians’ Will Be Allowed to Help Civil Litigants

Washington State’s top court has approved a new rule allowing licensed legal technicians to help civil litigants navigate the court system. The rule takes effect Sept. 1, according to a Washington courts press release. The rule allows persons who are trained and authorized by a new Limited License Legal Technician…

Jun 19, 2012 12:36 PM CDT

Judge Scolds Robbins Geller for Expenses, Including $100-a-Person Dinner and First-Class Airfares

A federal judge Spokane, Wash., has warned securities class action firm Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd and two of its partners that he intends to sanction them for claiming inaccurate and unreasonable expenses in a settled case. U.S. District Judge Justin Quackenbush told partners Joy Bull and John Grant that…

May 30, 2012 12:59 PM CDT

Defendant Accused of Lawyer Pencil Stabbings Is Found Guilty of Murdering an Acquaintance

A defendant accused of stabbing three of his lawyers with pencils and a fourth with a pen was convicted of murder on Wednesday after a trial in which he was restrained and seated away from his defense attorney. Joshua Monson of Washington state was accused of shooting and killing an…

May 10, 2012 1:52 PM CDT

Man Accused of Stabbing 3 Defense Lawyers with Smuggled Pencils Starts Murder Trial in Restraints

As Joshua Monson began his latest criminal trial in Washington state on Thursday, his latest defense lawyer was unscathed. That could be due to the unusual security measures approved by Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Larry McKeeman, at the request of prosecutors, after the defendant was accused of stabbing three…

Apr 27, 2012 4:10 PM CDT