State v. Sweany

Docket No. 86270-2 (from Court of Appeals Division III Case No. 28860-9)
Synopsis: Whether in a prosecution for first degree arson on the basis of fire damage to “property valued at ten thousand dollars or more with intent to collect insurance proceeds,” RCW 9A.48.020(1)(d), the term “valued at” means the fair market value of the property or the value of the insurance coverage of the property.

In re Bond Issuance of Greater Wenatchee Regional Events Center

Docket No. 86552-3 (from Chelan Case No. 11-2-00737-0)
Synopsis: Whether the city of Wenatchees agreement to make loans to a public facilities district to cover shortfalls in the districts ability to make debt service payments on district-issued bonds is a debt of the city for purposes of the constitutional and statutory limit on municipal indebtedness, and if so, whether the amount of the debt is the total amount to be loaned over the lifetime of the agreement.

State v. Saenz

Docket No. 84949-8 (from Court of Appeals Division III Case No. 27683-0)
Synopsis: Whether, in attempting to prove the existence of a prior strike offense for persistent offender purposes, the State adequately established that the defendant, who was a juvenile when he committed the prior offense, validly waived juvenile court jurisdiction and consented to trial in adult court, qualifying the offense as a strike offense.

Knight v. Yelm

Docket No. 84831-9 (from Court of Appeals Division II Case No. 38581-3)  Facts:  Tahoma Terra filed an application with the respondent city of Yelm to develop a 32 acre parcel of land into residential lots.  After the application was approved, petitioner J.Z. Knight, a nearby property owner who holds senior water rights, filed a Land Use Petition Act (Washington Revised Code §36.70C) petition in the Superior Court for Thurston County that asked the superior court to reverse the county’s decision.  Knight asserted that she has an interest in obtaining water connections when she develops her undeveloped property and that her senior water rights would be directly and adversely affected by Tahoma Terra’s proposed development.  The superior court granted the petition. Continue reading

Flight Options, L.L.C. v. Department of Revenue

Docket No. 84207-8 (from Court of Appeals Division II Case No. 39517-7)  Facts:  Petitioner Flight Options, L.L.C., a company which manages charter and fractional ownership programs for a fleet of private aircraft, petitioned the Superior Court for Thurston County for a declaratory judgment that the respondent Department of Revenue lacks the authority to assess property taxes on its aircraft given that they do not operate in the state of Washington pursuant to fixed routes and regular schedules. Continue reading