Washington

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

Court: Metadata in Citizen’s E-Mail Is Public Record, Justifying Search of Official’s Home Computer

Ruling on a case of first impression, the Washington Supreme Court today held that metadata in a citizen’s unsolicited e-mail sent to a public official on her home computer is a public record that must be disclosed upon request to another citizen, under state public records law. The court also…

Oct 7, 2010 6:45 PM CDT

Wash. AG’s Settlement with LegalZoom Bars Fee Comparisons Absent Disclosure

The attorney general’s office in Washington state is requiring the do-it-yourself document service LegalZoom to be a little more cautious when making cost comparisons. A settlement bars the company from comparing its document costs to attorney fees unless it discloses that its service isn’t a substitute for a law firm,…

Sep 21, 2010 1:06 PM CDT

Wash. Justice Awarded Documents, Fees in Public Records Case

Justice Richard Sanders is entitled to four documents that were improperly withheld in his public records lawsuit against the state, the Washington Supreme Court held Thursday. Sanders is also entitled to the additional legal fees he incurred during his appeal of a trial court decision that found more than 100…

Sep 17, 2010 3:28 PM CDT

Wrongful Death Suit: Dog Bit Man’s Finger, Causing Fatal Infection

Corrected: When a coonhound owned by Konrad Haskins bit Daniel Bork, it seemed to Haskins that a sanitizer wipe and a $20 bill were all that was needed to repair the damage, his lawyer told the Seattle Times. Meanwhile, the dog also allegedly bit another man with a similar name,…

Sep 10, 2010 11:28 PM CDT

Ex-Quellos Tax Attorney Takes Plea, Will Help Pay $7M, Speak at Law School

The former chief executive officer and tax attorney for the Quellos Group LLC hedge fund have accepted a plea agreement that will require them to pay the Internal Revenue Service up to $7M and cover the estimated $400,000 cost of their prosecution by the Justice Department. As part of the…

Sep 10, 2010 10:43 PM CDT

Perkins Coie Launches New Blog, IP Litigation Update

Perkins Coie has launched a new blog, IP Litigation Update. It will help readers keep up with rapidly changing IP law and showcase the more than 700-lawyer firm’s practice in the area, Perkins Coie explains in a press release. “We are excited to launch this blog focusing on current and…

Sep 9, 2010 8:53 PM CDT

Environmental Lawyer Dies While Climbing Mountain in Cascades

An environmental lawyer apparently lost his footing and fell to his death last week while mountain climbing in Washington’s North Cascades National Park. John Arum, 49, was a respected environmental lawyer with a love of the outdoors, the Associated Press reports. His father, boxing promoter Bob Arum, had left a…

Sep 7, 2010 5:36 PM CDT

Optional Online Bookmaking Operation Still Illegal, WA Court Rules

Online bookmaking operations are illegal, even if they make it optional for losing betters to pay off wagers, the Washington Supreme Court has held. The court, in a unanimous ruling (PDF) Thursday, said Betcha.com, a Seattle-based online bookmaker, qualifies as an illegal bookie because it arranged bets and took a…

Sep 3, 2010 5:34 PM CDT

TV Legal Analyst Pleads Guilty in Drunk-Driving Case, Gets 2 Days in Jail

A Seattle lawyer who is known for her television legal analysis has pleaded guilty in a drunk-driving case and was sentenced to two days in jail. Anne Bremner, 52, had initially claimed the symptoms of a head injury she suffered in a hit-and-run accident that evening were mistaken for symptoms…

Sep 3, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

Seattle Environmental Lawyer Missing in Cascades Hiking Trip

A Seattle environmental lawyer described as an accomplished climber didn’t return Sunday from a hiking trip in the Cascade Mountains. Park rangers and volunteers are searching for the lawyer, 49-year-old John Arum of Ziontz, Chestnut, Varnell, Berley & Slonim, the Sky Valley Chronicle and the Associated Press report. His father…

Sep 2, 2010 11:35 AM CDT

Maintenance Worker Wins $160K Award for Sprained Ankle, Due to Retaliation

A train maintenance worker who stepped off of a 12-inch platform while carrying garbage bags and sprained her ankle won a $160,000 award last week against her employer. Although Nicole Anderson fully recovered from the sprain, she was initially fired and then reinstated and disciplined after reporting the on-the-job injury,…

Sep 1, 2010 1:09 AM CDT