Washington

Coffee Shop Owner Guilty of Indecent Exposure Due to Skimpy See-Through Shorts on ‘Bikini Barista’

Up against well-known national names in the caffeine trade, local coffee shops in Washington state have tried creative marketing approaches to distinguish themselves. Among the techniques adopted by some are so-called bikini baristas. One shop in Yakima even featured pole dancing, the city’s mayor, Micah Cawley, tells Reuters. But Yakima…

Feb 7, 2011 6:34 PM CST

Wash. High Court Refuses Prosecutors’ Motion to Toss Defeated Justice from Cases

The Washington Supreme Court has rejected a request by prosecutors who said defeated Justice Richard Sanders should not have received a temporary appointment to wrap up work on cases heard while he was on the court. Prosecutors from five counties had argued that the Constitution only allows sitting or retired…

Feb 7, 2011 11:30 AM CST

6 Brothers Allegedly Left in Abusive Home for 8 Years Despite 33 Complaints Get $6.55M

Despite 33 complaints, it took eight years for child protection authorities in Washington state to remove six brothers from a family home in which their lawyer says they were starved, locked in closets and physically abused. Now the state has agreed to settle for $6.55 million the case they filed…

Feb 2, 2011 5:13 PM CST

Top Wash. Court Says Lawyer Billing Records May Be Public in Murder Case, Awards Fees

A Washington newspaper has won a round in a costly court battle to force Yakima County officials and/or a local state court to make public the billing records for court-appointed counsel in a now-concluded capital murder case. However, the battle isn’t yet over. The Washington Supreme Court has remanded much…

Jan 13, 2011 10:34 PM CST

Ex-Corrections Officers’ Confab re Defendant’s Record Requires Jury Selection Do-Over

A Washington state court will be trying again with a new jury pool on Monday, after an initial effort to select a panel to hear a first-degree murder trial was tainted by a conversation today between two former Department of Corrections officers. As some other prospective jurors overheard, the two…

Jan 6, 2011 5:56 PM CST

K&L Gates Sues U of Wash. Prof, Says He Threatened Partner Over His Wife’s Divorce

A prominent professor at the University of Washington has been sued by K&L Gates for allegedly threatening a female partner who represented his wife in a divorce case. After partner Mabry DeBuys received four anonymous “highly intimidating, outrageous, depraved and vicious” e-mails in a 24-hour period in July 2009, the…

Jan 5, 2011 7:50 PM CST

Citizen Superhero Crime-Fighter Changes Into Costume in Secret Comic Store Room

When a man who wishes to be known only as “Dan” returned to his parked car in a Seattle suburb one recent night, he caught a would-be thief in the act of trying to break in. But as Dan was dialing 911 for help, a masked man in a skintight…

Jan 5, 2011 6:27 PM CST

DA Can Prosecute Rape Case Against County Sheriff’s Deputy, Visiting Judge Rules

All eight superior court judges in Yakima County, Wash., have removed themselves from hearing a rape case against a sheriff’s deputy. However, the district attorney can prosecute the case if he wishes to, a visiting judge ruled yesterday, reports the Yakima Herald-Republic. Rejecting a defense argument that DA Jim Hagarty…

Dec 29, 2010 11:52 AM CST

Seahawks Fan Sues Shaun Ellis of Jets Over Stadium Snowball Toss

A Seattle Seahawks fan and season ticket holder has sued Shaun Ellis of the Jets, alleging physical injury, humiliation, mental distress, pain and wage loss as a result of allegedly being hit with a large snowball on his home team’s turf. A YouTube video linked to the TMZ report of…

Dec 20, 2010 5:48 PM CST

Law Firm’s Satirical Holiday Card Backfires; Critics Claim Racial Stereotyping

A law firm’s annual satirical newsletter takes aim at Washington Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders for his recent controversial remarks about blacks. But its fake article, entitled “Sanders to Reach Out to Black Community With KFC Restaurant,” apparently missed the mark. Morgan Hill, a law firm in Olympia, Wash., is…

Dec 15, 2010 12:59 PM CST

Seattle’s Lane Powell Acquires 17 Lawyers From Oregon Law Firm

Seattle-based Lane Powell is boosting its banking practice with the acquisition of 17 lawyers from Roberts Kaplan in Portland, Ore. The change takes place Jan. 1, according to the Portland Business Journal and the Puget Sound Business Journal. The acquisition makes Lane Powell Portland’s sixth-largest law firm. In the Seattle…

Dec 3, 2010 1:53 PM CST

Set to Testify in Rape Case, Woman Texts Suicide Threat from Court Roof; Should Law Be Changed?

Corrected: Apparently unglued by the prospect of being questioned directly by the pro se defendant in a child-rape case, his now-adult alleged victim fled to the roof of the King County Courthouse in Seattle last week and texted a suicide threat to the prosecutor. The unidentified woman was finally talked…

Nov 9, 2010 6:10 PM CST

Federal Judge Blocks Gov’t Attempt to Get Amazon Records for Tax Billing

A federal judge in Seattle has nixed an attempt by North Carolina taxing authorities to obtain customer records from Amazon in order to impose sales tax on their purchases. Although N.C. Revenue Department officials say they have no interest in checking to see what customers from the state are buying,…

Oct 26, 2010 9:50 PM CDT

Wash. State Justices’ Remarks About Black Criminals, ‘Poverty Pimps’ Stun Audience

Two Washington Supreme Court justices say there’s a reason why African Americans are overrepresented in the state prison population: They commit a disproportionate number of crimes. Justices Richard Sanders and James Johnson reportedly disputed that racial discrimination plays a role in the disparity in remarks that “stunned some participants” at…

Oct 22, 2010 1:17 PM CDT

Woman Stabbed Another Attendee at Anger Management Class, Police Say

Already charged with assault, a 19-year-old Washington state woman is facing a second assault case in a Seattle suburb after allegedly stabbing a fellow attendee at an anger management class. A dispute over the value of a video on anger management being shown to the class sparked a war of…

Oct 15, 2010 2:27 PM CDT