It took 25 months from beginning to end, but today the Washington State Court of Appeals finally issued a ruling in its review of the dismissal of the Charleena Lyles wrongful death case brought against the City of Seattle and the two police officers who shot and killed her. The appeals court overturned the lower court’s dismissal of the case and set it up to proceed to trial.
Continue readingCategory: legal
Grocers file for preliminary injunction to block city’s hazard pay ordinance
In an expected move, yesterday attorneys representing local grocery chains filed for a preliminary injunction to block implementation or enforcement of the city’s $4 per hour hazard pay ordinance for front-line employees of large grocery employers in Seattle. The filing provides more detail into how the plaintiffs intend to argue their case.
Continue readingCouncil sends revised crowd-control weapons ordinance to DOJ and police monitor for review
Today the City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee polished off a draft of a revised ordinance placing restrictions on SPD’s use of so-called “less lethal” weapons for crowd control, and sent it off to the Department of Justice and the court-appointed police monitor for comments. In so doing, the Council is signaling that it still feels the need to legislate in this domain while it also recognizes that the terms of the 2012 Consent Decree constrain its ability to do so.
Continue readingJudge Robart shares “harsh words” for the City Council in consent decree hearing
A lot happened related to police reform and the Consent Decree today, with an extra large helping of political commentary from an unusual source. This morning, the court-appointed police monitor submitted a proposed work plan for 2021 that not only lays out his office’s work but also commits SPD and the triumvirate of police-accountability bodies to specific deliverables and deadlines throughout the year. Then early this afternoon the monitor, the DOJ, and the City of Seattle went in front of U.S. District Court Judge James Robart to explain the plan and express their consensus support for it.
Continue readingGrocer associations sue to block “hazard pay” requirement
On the day that Seattle’s new $4 per hour “hazard pay” ordinance took effect, two trade associations representing local grocery companies filed suit to block the ordinance.
Continue readingIn follow-up to contempt ruling, judge issues mixed ruling on sanctions
This afternoon, U.S. District Court judge Richard Jones issued his ruling on sanctions for SPD’s violation of his injunction restricting the department’s use of crowd-control weapons. He also ruled against the city on two related matters, setting up the city to appeal his contempt ruling from last month.
Continue readingCouncil works on an updated crowd-control weapon ordinance, in fits and starts
Yesterday Councilmember Lisa Herbold and her Public Safety and Human Services Committee tried to move forward their effort to rewrite the Council’s ban on SPD’s use of so-called “less lethal” weapons for crowd-control. Herbold is charting an unconventional and somewhat tenuous path; there are ample headwinds, and progress is slow.
Continue readingCatching up on court cases: January 8, 2021
It’s time for a quick catch-up on three court cases: the Sawant recall petition, the ACLU/Black Lives Matter crowd control weapons case, and the landlords’ challenge to the city and state eviction moratoria.
Continue readingCatching up with the court cases: BLM contempt charge, CHOP businesses, Trump “anarchist jurisdictions”
A trio of court case updates this afternoon…
Continue readingLawsuit to stop Cal Anderson Park encampment removal flails — and ultimately fails
It’s been a whirlwind two days in court, as one of the individuals living in an encampment in Cal Anderson Park attempted to convince a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the city from clearing out the park. It ended late this afternoon when the judge firmly denied the request.
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