Washington State is known as the “Evergreen State” for a reason – our majestic evergreen trees are abundant, and we value them.  In the Timber Trespass Statute (codified at RCW 64.12.030), Washington’s legislature has created an effective tool for landowners seeking redress for the unauthorized removal of their trees (whether timber, ornamental trees, or shrubs).

The Timber Trespass Statute creates liability:

[w]henever any person shall cut down, girdle, or otherwise injure, or carry off any tree, including a Christmas tree as defined in *RCW 76.48.020, timber, or shrub on the land of another person, or on the...Read More

What is Earnest Money?

In the purchase of real estate, it is common for a buyer to put down a deposit called earnest money. This deposit is made to a seller to represent the buyer’s good faith towards buying the real property at issue.  Earnest money is typically held in an escrow account until closing, at which time the deposit will be applied as down payment towards the purchase of the property.

Earnest Money as Damages

Many disputes over the purchase of real estate center around entitlement to earnest money in the event of breach of...Read More

The economic and population growth throughout Washington State keeps builders, contractors, subcontractors and others involved in the construction industry very busy.  With that high demand, however, comes the added risk of mistakes and defects that may potentially lead to disputes and litigation.  Whether you are in the market for builders or in the industry itself, it is important to know the law and your rights when disputes arise.

A principal aspect of construction disputes in Washington State is whether the timeframe of the dispute aligns with the statute of limitations and repose.  Generally, under the statute...Read More

The Washington Court of Appeals recently issued a published decision in Sherman v. Pfizer et al., No. 50914-8-II, 2019 WL 1923583, -- P.3d -- (Wn. App. April 30, 2019), providing valuable guidance for attorneys litigating duty to warn cases under the Washington Product Liability Act (“WPLA”), RCW 7.72.  In Sherman, the plaintiff allegedly developed a serious degenerative nerve disease from prolonged use of a generic prescription medication manufactured by the defendants.  She argued that her injury was caused by the defendants’ failure to provide adequate warnings – either through updated package inserts or other means.  The...Read More

In Washington, disputes in construction projects often involve complex issues between numerous parties.  Parties to a construction project may include prime contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and laborers, all of whom work with the expectation of compensation for their services.  When these parties are not paid for their work they may file and attempt to enforce liens to ensure their rightful payment.  RCW 60.04 governs the filing and enforcement of mechanics’ and materialmen’s liens, which are a crucial tool for collection efforts pertaining to unpaid construction work.  However, legal representation is often necessary to navigate through the...Read More

When parties form a contract, they usually write the contract with terms conforming to their intentions and expectations. Unfortunately, sometimes one or both parties err in accurately expressing these intentions and expectations within the terms of a contract.  To make matters worse, one party often reaps the benefit of that mistake and will defend the contract vigorously to take advantage of the benefit.  In such disputes, the legal doctrines of unilateral mistake and mutual mistake often arise in the context of litigation between the parties.

When a party unilaterally makes a mistake, the party generally is...Read More

It may be your very own neighbor.  While many of us want to co-exist peacefully with our neighbors, you cannot always choose your neighbors, and they may have other goals in mind.  Conflicts between neighbors can arise in a variety of contexts, from tree cutting disputes to boundary disputes.  However, one of the most unsettling conflicts occurs when a neighbor trespasses onto your land and causes damage to your personal property.

Perhaps a neighbor damages your fence or knocks down your retaining wall.  Whatever the case, having a neighbor enter onto your land without your permission...Read More

The lawyers can see it coming. By their nature, certain lawsuits are primed from the outset to cost the parties excessive money and time, regardless of the amount in controversy. A certain a piece of litigation might involve a technical or complex area of the law. It might require ongoing and frequent oversight of the discovery process. It might involve heavy pre-trial factual analysis, such as damages determined by an expert and/or a complicated CPA-generated accounting. Finally, some litigation might call for compliance with a litany of settlement requirements.

In cases like those, an often-underutilized solution...Read More

A power of attorney gives powers to another party (commonly known as an agent or attorney in fact) to act on his or her behalf. A power of attorney essentially allows the agent to step into the shoes of the principal, and perform all acts a principal could perform in his or her own right. The scope of the power of attorney may include dealing with financial matters as well as health care decisions. It can be a useful tool when the principal is unable to manage his or her own affairs for any reason, such as travelling, hospitalization, or...Read More

Typically, creditors have little to no recourse when a debtor files for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Unless the debtor has sufficient non-exempt assets to pay all of his creditors, or the debts are secured by homes, cars, or other tangible items, the debts will likely be discharged – i.e., wiped out – leaving creditors with little to no recovery on their debt.

In certain instances, however, debtors cannot discharge debts because of how debtors incurred the debt. If

1. The debt was obtained by false pretenses, false representation, or actual fraud; or
2. The debt arose from fraud or...Read More