Hearing set Monday on appeals over homeless project
Two legal battles dealing with Madison Park — the micro housing and commons building for homeless people — are to be heard in Walla Walla County Superior Court on Monday. Northwest Justice Project, representing the Walla Walla Alliance for the Homeless, the group that wants to build Madison Park, has filed an appeal seeking removal of restricitons placed on the Madison Park project.
Forum shines spotlight on sexual harassment of farm workers
NJP attorneys David Morales and Blanca Rodriguez participated in a forum intended to start discussions about sexual harassment in the agricultural workforce. Rodriguez said she sees three important factors for addressing sexual harassment or violence toward farm workers: litigation, education of workers so they know when to report inappropriate behavior, and an increase in services to keep victims safe and support their recovery.
Lawsuits claim banks failing to honor loan modifications
NJP attorney Chelsea Hicks represents one of two sisters involved in lawsuits against Green Tree Loan Servicing for failing to honor home loan modifications. NJP Board member Omar Vicente Barraza’s office is representing the other sister.
The injustice of underfunding civil legal aid
Studies from Washington state, Baltimore, and New York all confirm that LGBTQ people face many of the same struggles as others living in poverty. However, the combination of being both poor and LGBTQ creates a unique set of challenges, limiting their ability to escape poverty.
A dedicated unit in the fight against domestic violence in King County
The King County Sheriff’s Office disbanded its Domestic Violence Investigations Unit in 2009 due to budget cuts, but since the unit was re-formed in 2015, prosecutors have so far this year noticed a spike in the number of felony cases being referred for charges.
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Rebecca Nelson, Appellant v. James Duvall, Respondent
NJP also appeared as amicus in two important cases involving protections for victims of sexual assault. NJP Advocacy Coordinator Leslie Savina joined the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Legal Voice as amici in a case challenging the trial court’s denial of a sexual assault protection order because the petitioner, a UW freshman who, […]
Megan Roake, Appellant v. Maxwell Delman, Respondent
In another excellent decision NJP joined with Legal Voice as amicus in a case that challenged the trial court’s denial of a sexual assault protection order because the petitioner had failed to prove acts of the respondent which made her fearful of future contact. The Court of Appeals (Division I) reversed and remanded holding that […]
Spokane Public Schools overhauls student discipline
For the past two years, Spokane Public Schools has been overhauling how it handles student discipline.
The goal is to suspend and expel fewer students, and focus on communication with students and better training for staff.
All Washington schools are moving in the same direction under a new state law that limits long-term suspension and expulsion to certain serious behavior, including possession of weapons, gang activity, sexual offenses and the use of drugs or alcohol.
NJP Referrals to AGO Lead to Used Car Dealer Agreeing to Pay $250,000 For Discrimination!
The recently released 2015 Washington State Civil Legal Needs Study Update reveals a sharp increase in the average number of civil legal problems facing low-income people – from 3 to more than 9 per year – since the original 2003 Supreme Court study.
Debt Collectors’ Abuses Prompt Consumer Agency to Propose New Rules
For the first time in nearly 40 years, federal regulators are preparing to significantly strengthen the rules that govern debt collection in an effort to clamp down on collectors who hound consumers for debts they may not even owe.