The State Supreme Court convenes for an Inauguration and Administration of the Oath of Office ceremony for Chief Justice Gerry Alexander, Justice & Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson, and Justices Mary Fairhurst & Debra Stephens.
Facts:
Respondent Mark Mattson was an incarcerated sex offender and sought relief from personal restraint on a claim that his plan for release to community custody for good behavior was unlawfully denied by the Department of Corrections (DOC), Read more…
Facts:
Petitioner Tyler King was prosecuted for reckless driving on a motorcycle after being arrested and issued a criminal citation by a police officer outside of the officer’s territorial jurisdiction. King moved to dismiss the charge in Clark County District Court, arguing the officer arrested him outside his department’s boundaries without a valid interlocal agreement allowing him to do so. Read more…
Facts: Mark Vanderveen was disbarred following a hearing by the Washington State Bar Association’s disciplinary board, Read more…
Synopsis: May a defendant collaterally challenge a conviction more than one year after the judgment becomes final when the defendant’s maximum possible sentence was misstated on the judgment and sentence form?
Facts:
Respondent Ryan O’Hara was charged with second degree assault in the Superior Court for Spokane County where he argued his actions were in self-defense. The trial court instructed the jury on the law of self-defense per O’Hara’s request, but also instructed the jury as to the meaning of “malice” used in the self-defense instruction without O’Hara’s request or objection. Read more…
Facts:
Petitioner property owner Paul Post was assessed civil penalties by respondent City of Tacoma for having several properties in substandard or derelict conditions, in violation of several city code provisions. Post claimed the City violated his rights to due process, and sought a declaration that the City code provisions, the City’s fining procedures, and the fines levied against him were unconstitutional; Read more…
Synopsis: Is corporate insolvency a sufficient defense to avoid personal liability when the responsible party otherwise willfully failed to pay wages owed to its employee(s)?
Facts:
Petitioner Steven Heddrick Jr. was charged with felony harassment, and subsequently charged with custodial assault because of his involvement in an altercation with jailhouse staff while awaiting trial. The Superior Court for King County entered an order finding Henddrick competent to stand trial on the assault charge, but did not enter an equivalent order in the prior harassment case. Read more…
Facts:
Petitioner DOT Foods is an out-of-state seller of food products in Washington through a wholly owned subsidiary. 99 percent of DOT’s products are consumer products with the remainder of the sales coming from nonconsumer products. For many years DOT has received a B & O (business and occupation) tax exemption for 100 percent of its sales under RCW §82.04.423(1). Read more…
