Tomorrow morning the City Council will take up a bill proposed by Councilmembers Lewis and Sawant that would provide free legal representation to all tenants in Seattle facing eviction.
Continue readingCategory: legal
Appeal of hotel-worker healthcare mandate gets its day in court
On Monday, a panel of 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges heard oral arguments in an appeal of the City of Seattle’s ordinance mandating that hotel companies provide healthcare benefits to their workers.
Continue readingKing County judge rules in favor of city on tenant protection ordinances
Today King County Superior Court Judge Johanna Bender issued a ruling almost entirely upholding three tenant protection ordinances passed by the City Council last year.
Continue readingCatching up on the court cases: February 19, 2021
A few things happened this week in some of the pending court cases involving the city. Let’s catch up.
Continue readingAppeals court reverses Charleena Lyles case dismissal, sends it on to trial
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 readingGrocers 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.
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