Washington

Judge Who Had Sensitivity Training Is Accused Again of Rudeness

A Seattle-area judge has been accused of routinely interrupting litigants and lawyers and addressing them in a manner that is “angry, disdainful, condescending and/or demeaning.” The state Commission on Judicial Conduct claims in a statement of charges (PDF) that Judge Judith Eiler treated lawyers and self-represented litigants in a way…

Jun 24, 2008 4:07 PM CDT

Wash. Prison Provides Doulas, Lets Pregnant Inmates Keep Babies

A prison in Washington state is believed to be the only one in the nation that provides doulas to counsel pregnant inmates about birthing and motherhood concerns and techniques. It also has broken new ground by allowing inmates serving no more than three years who deliver while incarcerated to keep…

May 29, 2008 5:55 PM CDT

‘Sexy’ Seattle Pet: Backyard Chicken

Seattle residents are crowing about an increasingly popular pet: the backyard chicken. Under longtime zoning law, it is legal to keep a small number of chickens in this major metropolitan area, the Seattle Times reports. But chickens are “sexy” right now, according to Angelina Shell of the Seattle Tilth’s city…

May 19, 2008 10:09 PM CDT

3rd-Party Stalking is a Crime, Wash. Supreme Ct. Says

Overturning a state appeals court decision, a divided Washington Supreme Court has decided that it is a criminal act for an individual to use third parties to stalk another person. Ruling on the case of Andre Paul Becklin, who got friends to follow his ex-girlfriend and report back to him,…

May 1, 2008 11:23 PM CDT

Despite National Slowdown, Spokane, Wash., Office of K&L Gates is Growing

Despite the slowing national economy that has led to layoffs at some law firms, the Spokane, Wash., office of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis is doing just fine. It has added seven lawyers to its attorney roster over the past 18 months, and expects to bring in an eighth…

Apr 18, 2008 4:23 PM CDT

Record $3M Settlement in Seattle Schools Sex-Abuse Case

Seattle Public Schools has agreed to pay $3.05 million to settle a case about two students molested by a former middle-school teacher whose behavior during a 20-year education career allegedly resulted in multiple complaints that weren’t properly investigated. The settlement reportedly is the highest ever agreed to by any school…

Apr 8, 2008 9:51 PM CDT

Creepy Convict Has Right to See Lawyer-Related Public Records

A Washington state prison inmate serving 24 years for arranging to firebomb two lawyers’ cars has a right to seek personal information about state attorneys, prison guards and judges, a court case has determined, even if it isn’t apparent that doing so serves the public interest. Under open records laws,…

Mar 25, 2008 10:44 PM CDT

Jail for False Wash. Rape Case ‘Victim’; Prosecutors Will Now Be More Careful

When Katherine Clifton told Seattle area authorities last year that she had been raped, she was “an extremely articulate and credible victim. There was no reason to suspect she wasn’t telling the truth,” a King County Sheriff’s spokesman says. But she wasn’t. The suburban Seattle woman was sentenced to a…

Mar 19, 2008 8:46 PM CDT

Washington Justices Bar Random Drug Tests of Student Athletes

The Washington Supreme Court has ruled the state constitution protects student athletes from random drug tests. The U.S. Supreme Court has permitted such searches for “special needs,” but the Washington high court said the state constitution offers greater protection than its federal counterpart, the Seattle Times reports. The plurality opinion…

Mar 14, 2008 2:13 PM CDT

Seattle Labor Lawyer Sentenced to Five Years in FBI Sex Sting

A former Seattle labor lawyer convicted in an FBI sex sting has been sentenced to five years in prison for traveling to Oregon to meet a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The lawyer, William B. Knowles, billed the trip to a flight attendants union he represented, the Oregonian…

Feb 14, 2008 1:28 PM CST

Client Commits Suicide Before Learning of Mistrial

A 47-year-old Washington state man apparently committed suicide this week while a jury was deliberating in a case over his alleged sexual abuse of a young relative. But, not knowing of this development, the judge declared a mistrial yesterday after a Clark County Superior Court jury deadlocked about whether to…

Feb 8, 2008 10:51 PM CST

Banned Lawyer Gets Reprieve re Alleged Affair With Judge

The ban has been lifted against a Washington state lawyer ordered not to appear on behalf of indigent defendants at his local courthouse, after a judge reportedly blabbed about their alleged affair at a holiday party. Michael Morgan, the presiding judge, ended the ban this week, apparently in response to…

Feb 7, 2008 6:30 PM CST

Man Who Firebombed Lawyers’ Cars Tests Public Records Laws

A Seattle prosecutor is taking action to curtail the public records requests of an imprisoned arsonist who’s been busy compiling information on the judges and lawyers who helped put him behind bars. The man, Allan Parmelee, in in jail because he firebombed the cars of two lawyers, one of them…

Feb 1, 2008 7:04 PM CST

Wash. Supervision Evaluated After Man Deemed ‘Dangerous’ is Accused of Murder

Seattle-area prosecutors are looking into why a man, already labeled by the courts and mental health authorities as “dangerous,” was free at the time he is accused of following a woman then stabbing her to death. James Anthony Williams was release from prison two years ago and had been repeatedly…

Jan 30, 2008 6:34 PM CST

City’s Plan to Waive Attorney-Client Privilege Aggravates Insurer

Municipal officials in a small town in Washington state apparently thought they were doing the right thing by embracing an open records policy that potentially allowed residents to take a look at privileged documents and those relating to legal negotiations. Their insurer, however, had a different view. News that members…

Jan 23, 2008 7:46 PM CST