Yesterday the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals published its ruling on an appeal of a lower court ruling that upheld Seattle’s “Fair Chance Housing” ordinance. The ordinance prohibits landlords from looking at a prospective tenant’s criminal record and from taking adverse action against a prospective tenant (such as denying tenancy) …
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Judge dismisses defamation suit against Sawant
Today U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman ruled in favor of Councilmember Sawant in dismissing a defamation lawsuit filed against her by two SPD officers who claimed that she called them murderers. From the ruling: Sawant asks that the claims not advance to trial because Miller and Spaulding have failed …
Continue readingSplit decision by state appeals court on Seattle City Light “greenwashing” case
Today the Washington State Court of Appeals handed down a mixed decision in a case filed by the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe accusing Seattle City Light of “greenwashing” its hydroelectric power plants. A lower court had dismissed the Tribe’s case in its entirety. The appeals court affirmed most of that decision, agreeing …
Continue readingAdley Shepherd case dismissed
Today a U.S. District Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by former SPD Officer Adley Shepherd against the City of Seattle. Shepherd was fired by the city after he punched a handcuffed suspect in the back of his squad car. He was reinstated by an arbitrator, but then a court …
Continue readingCity of Seattle sues Hyundai and Kia over easy-to-steal cars
Last month the City of Seattle filed a lawsuit in federal court, accusing automakers Hyundai and Kia of violating the public nuisance statutes by selling cars that are easy to steal because they don’t include vehicle immobilizer anti-theft technology.
Continue readingCity of Seattle settles CHOP lawsuit
This morning the City of Seattle informed a federal court that it has reached a settlement agreement with a group of business and property owners that had sued the city over damage done during the CHOP in June and July of 2020. No terms of the agreement have been announced …
Continue readingState Supreme Court ruling on Seattle “hazard pay” for delivery workers
This morning the Washington State Supreme Court issued a messy 67-page ruling on whether a lawsuit challenging the City of Seattle’s COVID-era ordinance mandating additional hazard pay for food-delivery workers can go forward. The lower court had allowed some of the claims to move forward, while dismissing others. The Supreme …
Continue readingCHOP business owners’ lawsuit against city gets pared down, city officials get spanked for deleting texts
U.S. District Court Thomas Zilly handed down two rulings today in the “Hunters Capital” lawsuit filed by a collection of Capitol Hill business owners and residents in response to the city’s handling of the CHOP in the summer of 2020. The city had filed a motion for summary judgment to …
Continue readingState Supreme court rules against City of Seattle for errant 911 medical response
The Washington State Supreme Court this morning ruled against the City of Seattle in a case over its a 911 medical response call that went very wrong. In response to a 911 call. the city’s 911 call center dispatched a medical unit that went to the wrong address, and it …
Continue readingSeattle School District sues social media platforms
The Seattle School District has filed a lawsuit against Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tiktok for allegedly contributing to a mental health crisis among youth. I hope you found this article valuable. If you did, please take a moment to make a contribution to support my ongoing work. Thanks!
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