Recent News

Frequently a plaintiff’s injuries are attributable to the combined effects of the actions of multiple defendants.  In this context, the defendants may be jointly and severally liable to the plaintiff, which means that if one defendant is insolvent, the plaintiff may collect the full amount of the damages from the remaining defendant(s). Under RCW 4.22.040,… Read More

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into the law the CARES Act. The CARES Act was passed to address the economic impacts of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. The Act authorizes the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to provide Emergency EIDL Grants. An eligible entity will receive a grant of up to $10,000 by simply applying… Read More

Families face unprecedented challenges in response to COVID-19, and these challenges may impact residential time children spend with a parent and/or the ability of a parent to pay support obligations.  The Family Law Group at Beresford Booth is available to assist and provide advice, guidance and representation to parents as to their rights and options… Read More

On March 23, 2020, Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued Proclamation No. 20-25 including a “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” Order designed to combat the person-to-person spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Washington State.  Until the order expires or is amended, all people in Washington are ordered to “cease leaving their home or place of residence” except… Read More

On Friday, the Washington Supreme Court issued an order suspending most state court proceedings due to the current public health crisis.  The order requires all civil jury trials to be suspended until after April 24, while trials currently in session may proceed.  Additionally, all non-emergency civil matters must be continued until after April 24, though… Read More

When you hear the word “contribution,” you probably think about someone helping others monetarily to accomplish some shared goal.  In the context of litigation, contribution refers to the right of co-defendants to force each other to share in paying damages owed or paid to a plaintiff. In the simplest example, plaintiff (“A”) is harmed by… Read More

The “basic exclusion amount” is the amount of a deceased person’s estate that passes free of federal estate tax.  This differs from the unlimited marital deduction that applies when one spouse dies and transfers all of his or her interest in property to the surviving spouse.  There is a basic exclusion amount for federal estate… Read More

Student loans are treated differently than other unsecured debts in bankruptcy.  A debtor seeking to discharge liability for a student loan must demonstrate “undue hardship.”  While this standard is more stringent than for ordinary unsecured debts, the a very high percentage of debtors with lingering student loan debt assume that student loans are by definition… Read More

For decades, Washington State left the its overtime rules essentially unchanged. But recent changes going into effect in July 2020 will dramatically increase the threshold for exemptions to overtime eligibility. When combined with the recent increase in Washington State’s minimum wage of $13.50/hour effective January 1, 2020, these changes will are expected to affect approximately… Read More