The City Attorney’s Office has published a report for its criminal division Q2/2022 activities, as required by the Seattle City Council. It contains a wealth of information about cases, referrals, decisions as to whether to file charges, use of alternative programs, and demographic profiles. The City Attorney’s Office has also …
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Judge’s order on unsealing of affidavit related to Mar-a-Lago FBI search warrant
This morning U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart issued an order laying out his thoughts on whether to unseal the FBI’s affidavit in support of its search warrant on Mar-a-Lago. Generally he sides with the FBI, though he orders the agency to produce a redacted version that he may decide to …
Continue readingSPD quarterly accountability report
As part of its ongoing responsibilities under the 2012 Consent Decree, today the City of Seattle filed a quarterly accountability report with the court detailing its recent activities in implementing the consent decree. Attached to the report are two documents: a set of testimonial quotes on SPD’s “Before the Badge” …
Continue readingPatent infringement lawsuit filed against City of Seattle for parking app
RanaVerde Tech Initiative LLC has filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle for allegedly violating a patent it owns, “Vehicle parking assistance electronic timer system and method.” It claims that the city’s PayByPhone parking app infringes on the patent’s claims. I hope you found this article valuable. If you …
Continue readingPort of Seattle lawsuit against Boeing for Duwamish river PCB dumping
As first reported by Axios this morning, the Port of Seattle is suing the Boeing Corporation under the state Model Toxics Control Act and the federal Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation and Liability Act to force the company to pay more to clean up decades of PCB dumping into the lower …
Continue readingBosa development agreement for Civic Square
With the news from developer Bosa this morning that it is delaying construction on its construction project in the apparently cursed “pit from hell” lot across the street from City Hall, here is the purchase and development agreement that Bosa signed with the City of Seattle in 2017 to buy …
Continue readingCity of Seattle arbitration appeal for parking enforcement officer
In January of this year, a labor arbitrator issued a decision overturning the firing of Seattle Parking Enforcement Officer Jonathan Skeie. The city has filed a petition asking a King County Superior Court judge to reverse the arbitrator’s decision. On the morning of June 9, 2020, Skeie told co-workers, “Well, …
Continue readingU.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade
This morning the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling finding that there is no constitutionally-protected right to an abortion, overturning the fifty-year-old Roe vs. Wade and thirty-year-old Planned Parenthood vs. Casey decisions that had established that right. The majority opinion follows closely the leaked Alito draft, but this final …
Continue readingState appeals court whittles down COVID-era eviction bans
This morning a state Court of Appeals panel updated an earlier ruling; it largely affirmed a lower court ruling that upheld the City of Seattle’s eviction moratorium and required payment plans but found that the city’s ban on landlords collecting interest on unpaid rent was pre-empted by state law. The …
Continue readingState appeals court affirms Seattle payroll tax
As expected, this morning a state Court of Appeals panel handed down a ruling affirming the legality of the City of Seattle’s payroll tax. The Seattle Chamber of Commerce had sued to block it, arguing that it was an illegal tax on the right of employees to work, as prohibited …
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