Washington DOC Pays $2.2 Million to Settle Inadequate Supervision Claim Resulting in Death by The Washington State Department of Corrections (WDOC) agreed to pay $2.2 million to the family of a man who was brutally beaten by a probationer. The lawsuit claimed WDOC was liable for wrongful death because it …
County Pays $500,000 for Negligent Supervision of Probationer by Washington’s Whatcom County has settled a claim that it was negligent in failing to monitor the actions of a probationer for $500,000. The lawsuit was brought by the parents of Michael C. Busby, Jr., 8, who was killed by the probationer. …
Unreported Jail Deaths: There have been two apparent suicides, one of which remains a mystery. by Rick Anderson By Rick Anderson Gas-station robber Ronald Ray Hicks went to sleep in his King County Jail bunk just before 10 p.m. July 25 and never woke up. His cellmate noticed Hicks still …
$3 Million Jury Award in Wrongful Termination of Washington Prosecutor by A jury in Washington’s King County awarded a fired prosecutor $3,075,170. The lawsuit by Barbara Corey charged that she was wrongfully terminated by the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office in 2004. At the time of her firing, Corey was number …
Jail Term Imposed for Non-Payment of Fine Upheld in Washington by A Washington appeals court held that the imposition of jail time for the willful non-payment of fines in violation of stipulated probation terms was within the trial court’s authority. On September 1, 2005, Jimmy Young pled guilty to one …
Proof of “Overt Act” not Required in Washington to Civilly Commit Incarcerated Sexually Violent Predator by David James Lewis challenged a Washington Court of Appeals decision that held the state was not required to prove a recent overt act during civil commitment proceedings. Lewis was convicted in 1992 of two …
Involuntary Plea in Washington Requires Withdrawal or Strict Plea Enforcement by A state of Washington Court of Appeals has held that a defendant who enters an involuntary plea is entitled to choose his remedy of either specifically enforcing the plea agreement or withdrawing that plea. The ruling came in the …
Methadone Treatment is Not Inconsistent with Washington’s Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative by The drug offender sentencing alternative (DOSA) of the Sentencing Reform Act may be utilized to afford offenders methadone treatment the Washington Court of Appeals held on June 9, 2008. David Anderson pled guilty to reckless burning in the …
$79,000 Settlement in Washington State Excessive Force/Unlawful Arrest Suit by On March 25, 2008, the City of Bremerton, Washington, and Bremerton Police Officer William Cook settled an unlawful arrest and excessive force lawsuit for $79,000. Cook arrested Melissa Scott, a U.S. government employee, for littering after she refused to obey …
Washington DOC Guard Fired For Physically Assaulting Supervisor by Ex Washington State Department of Corrections guard John Merriman appealed his termination for physically assaulting his supervisor in 2003. The termination was upheld. Merriman began working at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center (CBCC) in 1994. In 2003, after seeing an entry …
Washington DOC Guard's Pay Reduced For Inappropriate Conversations With Prisoners by Washington State Department of Corrections guard, Michael Vargas, appealed a disciplinary reduction of his pay rate for inappropriate and sexual conversation with a female prisoner. The sanction was affirmed. Vargas became a guard at the Pine Lodge Pre Release …
Washington Guard Terminated For Exposing Prisoners' Crime Details by Ex Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) employee, Glee Winter, appealed her termination for disclosing specific prisoners' crime information to other prisoners and showing prisoners how to access the facility computer system. The termination was upheld. Winter was employed by the …
Washington Jury Awards $202,500 to Ex-Prisoner for Injuries from Top Bunk Fall by Washington Jury Awards $202,500 to Ex-Prisoner for Injuries from Top Bunk Fall A Washington state jury awarded a former prisoner and his wife $202,500 for injuries incurred after he fell from a top bunk at the Washington …
Child's Fingertip Amputated After Guard's Negligence by Wisconsin resident Evonie Bean, guardian of injured minor Tianna Fudge, brought a federal tort action against the United States in 2001 after Fudge's fingertip was caught in a prison door and severed while at a prison visit. Details of the 2003 settlement agreement …
Ninth Circuit Upholds Admission of Statements to Police in Phone Conversation Absent Miranda Warning by Washington State prisoner Habib Saleh sought review of his federal habeas corpus denial challenging the admission of statements made in a voluntary phone conversation he initiated at his trial for first degree murder. The court …
Washington Classification Reassessment Requires Notice and Hearing by The Washington State Court of Appeals held that reassessment of a prisoner’s risk classification which made him ineligible for a 50 percent sentence reduction, without notice or an opportunity to be heard, violated due process. In 2004, Charles Leon Wheeler pleaded guilty …
Washington Prisoner Suit for “Prevailing Wages” from Private Employer Fails by John Dannenberg Washington Prisoner Suit for “Prevailing Wages” from Private Employer Fails by John E. Dannenberg The Washington state Court of Appeals has affirmed a superior court’s denial of a “prevailing wage” claim filed by state prisoners employed by …
$185,000 Settlement For Man Needlessly Beaten By Seattle Police by Seattle resident Maikoiyo Alley Barnes (plaintiff) brought a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action against Seattle police after being beaten in 2005 for questioning a sergeant's motives to ticket his friend for littering. The suit settled for $185,000. The plaintiff questioned …
Report Criticizes Conditions in U.S. Immigrant Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington by David Reutter Report Criticizes Conditions in U.S. Immigrant Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington by David M. Reutter Conditions at the federal immigration center in Tacoma, Washington, are substandard and not in compliance with national standards, “much less international …
Washington DOC Restarts Private Industry Prison Jobs Following State Constitutional Amendment by John Dannenberg Washington DOC Restarts Private Industry Prison Jobs Following State Constitutional Amendment by John E. Dannenberg After eliminating private industry prison work programs in response to a Washington State Supreme Court ruling declaring the underlying statute unconstitutional …
