Washington

Wash. Governor Signs Bill Seeking to Stop Underage Escort Ads; Backpage.com Cites Federal Protection

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire has signed a first-of-its-kind law that tackles child sex trafficking through regulation of advertising. The law requires websites and print publications that advertise escort services to get documentation that the escorts are at least 18, according to the Seattle Times and the New York Times. The…

Apr 2, 2012 12:09 PM CDT

Wash. State Appeals Court OKs $3K Sanction Against Lawyer Who Responded to Opposing Party Email

The Washington Court of Appeals earlier this month found that attorney John Williams was appropriately sanctioned $3,000 for responding to an email from an opposing party in a personal injury case that invited him to get in touch with her, the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct reports. Although Rebecca…

Mar 29, 2012 11:03 PM CDT

Ex-Employees Contend Judge Who Owns Towing Company Is Offering Low-Cost Legal Services

A Washington judge is violating state law by offering so-called pay-for-play low-cost legal services to property owners who use the auto towing company he owns, two former employees contend. But Judge Ron Heslop of Bonney Lake says the two quit their jobs after he and the manager of Engel’s Towing…

Mar 28, 2012 7:12 PM CDT

Seattle Lawyer John Henry Browne Says He Plans to Defend US Staff Sgt. Accused in 16 Afghan Slayings

A well-known Seattle criminal defense lawyer, John Henry Browne, says he has been retained by a U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan, the News-Tribune reports. The unidentified 38-year-old staff sergeant is “from here, and he knows who I am,” said Browne. His new client, not yet criminally…

Mar 15, 2012 8:35 PM CDT

Judge Warned in 2007 That Suspect Arrested Last Week in Wash. Courthouse Attack Could Be ‘A Threat’

A Washington state judge warned in a 2007 letter that a man arrested last week in an attack on another judge and a sheriff’s deputy “could become a threat.” Grays Harbor County District Court Stephen Brown wrote that Steven Daniel Kravetz, who was then a defendant in a domestic-violence assault…

Mar 13, 2012 6:48 PM CDT

Calls from Lawyer and Mom Lead to Arrest of Suspect in Wash. Courthouse Attack on Judge, Deputy

A suspect was arrested on Saturday following an attack Friday in a Washington state courthouse on a judge and a Grays Harbor County sheriff’s deputy. Steven Daniel Kravetz, 34, was turned in to authorities by his own mother after she realized he was wanted in the attack on Superior Court…

Mar 12, 2012 2:37 PM CDT

Judge Stabbed, Deputy Shot at Wash. State Courthouse; Judges’ Recent Suit Alleged Security Issues

Updated: A judge was stabbed and a sheriff’s deputy was shot around noon today in the Grays Harbor County Courthouse in Washington state, about 90 miles from Seattle. Both were transported to the hospital and are in satisfactory condition, the Seattle Times reports. The Seattle PI says Judge David Edwards…

Mar 9, 2012 9:57 PM CST

Law Students Train Teens to Staff Youth Court in Seattle Focused on Traffic Infractions

A youth traffic court staffed by 22 high school students in Seattle will begin hearing cases on March 26. Seattle University law students have trained the teens to act as judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, bailiffs, court clerks and jurors, the Seattle Times reports. Defendants will receive creative sentences; punishments could…

Mar 6, 2012 5:54 PM CST

Could Deaths of Two Boys in Supervised-Visitation House Fire Have Been Prevented?

In the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, observers are wondering what, if anything, could have been done to prevent two boys, ages 5 and 7, from dying along with their father after his Washington state home erupted in flames during a supervised visit on Sunday. Little, it seems, likely could…

Feb 8, 2012 11:05 PM CST

Lawyers Must Keep Representing Murder Defendant Who Won’t Communicate With Them, Judge Rules

It’s been at least a year since Jose Garcia-Morales communicated with his public defenders, if he ever did. But Shelley Ajax and Moe Spencer must continue to represent the 28-year-old murder defendant, a Washington state court judge has ruled, denying their motion to withdraw on the basis that the attorney-client…

Feb 8, 2012 5:48 PM CST

Minutes After ‘I’m Sorry, Goodbye’ Email to Lawyer, Client’s House Blows Up, Killing His 2 Sons

Minutes before apparently setting his Washington state home on fire yesterday, killing himself and his two young sons, Josh Powell sent an email to his lawyer. “I’m sorry, goodbye,” it read. The lawyer, Jeffrey Bassett, didn’t receive it until a couple of hours after it was sent, but even if…

Feb 6, 2012 11:21 AM CST

More Trouble for Murder Suspect Accused of Stabbing Lawyer with Attorney’s Own Pen

Joshua Monson may have felt he had little to lose when, according to police, he punched a corrections officer in the face yesterday while meeting with his lawyer at the Snohomish County jail. Now facing a first-degree murder charge—as well as three unrelated assault charges; in two of those cases,…

Feb 3, 2012 8:01 PM CST

Seattle Battles Its Own Attorney in Dispute Over US Supreme Court Appeal in Excessive-Force Case

A Washington state lawyer hired by the city of Seattle to defend three police officers accused of using excessive force by repeatedly using a stun gun on a pregnant woman after a traffic stop is running amok, as city officials see the situation. After an en banc federal appeals court…

Jan 20, 2012 9:48 PM CST

Federal Prosecutor’s Tech-Savvy Son, 14, Helps Cops Track Down Items Taken in Home Burglary

When a federal prosecutor in Seattle started his day on Saturday morning and discovered his home had been burglarized, he knew what to do. In addition to calling 911, assistant U.S. Attorney Harold Malkin awakened his 14-year-old son, Max. Working with the responding police officer, who suggested that they try…

Jan 19, 2012 7:04 PM CST

Wash. Lawyer’s License Lifted After Roommate Used Attorney Phone Privileges to Talk with Inmates

A Washington state defense lawyer has lost her law license over phone calls between a housemate and two inmates, using the attorney’s free legal phone privileges. Kimberly Grijalva, who was previously convicted of theft concerning the phone calls, also allegedly let an inmate use her cellphone during a jail visit,…

Jan 12, 2012 10:24 PM CST