Recent News

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… Read More

A Washington Court of Appeals recently differentiated 50/50 shared parenting plans from plans in which there is a named primary residential parent with respect to the intent to move with the child. “A proposed relocation that would modify a joint parenting plan’s equal residential time to something less than equal residential time is in effect… Read More

Employers face increasing litigation risks from the wrongful acts of their employees as the law of negligent hiring and retention expands. Employers are potentially liable for negligent hiring when employing an unfit applicant who poses an unreasonable risk of harm to others. If an employer should have known of an employee’s unfitness at the time… Read More

The lawyers of Beresford Booth harness our expertise to maximize the benefit for our clients in any given situation. This can mean transforming a seemingly dire situation to a positive outcome. We enjoy creating efficient and successful outcomes. Recently, we had a client whose financial position was bleak. His wife had died, leaving property in… Read More

Lenders and other creditors are often reluctant to litigate against a debtor, even when liability is clear and the debtor is solvent. Why? Because the creditor fears the debtor will either hide his assets, delay the litigation process, or both. Good news, Washington creditors. In many situations, your attorney may be able to quickly and… Read More

Your crew has done construction or remodel work at a property, but you are not being paid. You want to file a lien against the real estate, but you are not sure you can legally. You are not even sure exactly how a lien might benefit you. Overview of Liens A “mechanic's lien” is the… Read More

In the 2010 case Eastwood, the Washington Supreme Court set forth the Independent Duty Doctrine (the “IDD”).  Under the IDD, when two parties had a contract together, one could only sue the other for a “tort” (such as negligence or fraud) if the tort claim “traces back to the breach of a tort duty arising independently… Read More

Serving a defendant is not always easy – he may be hard to locate and may do everything in his power to evade service. You may not be able to find a physical address or he could be living half a world away. So what if you could just serve him somewhere where you’ll know… Read More

Despite politicians’ inability to resolve the budget impasse in Washington D.C., the Executive Office of the United States Courts recently announced Federal Courts will remain open through at least October 17—possibly through Friday, October 18th.  The Federal Courts have been operating on fee income and no-year appropriated funds to keep operations functioning since the shutdown… Read More