Demonte Rigney was a stand-out football player for Ballard High School. On Tuesday, he was charged with sexually assaulting a female student during class last spring. “I was afraid, so I did everything he told me,” the alleged victim told KIRO 7 during a recent interview. As an alleged sexual assault victim, KIRO 7 has agreed not to reveal … Read More
Western State employee misconduct cases spark concern
Employee misconduct cases at Western State Hospital raise concerns about the psychiatric hospital’s culture and staff supervision. Author: Chris Ingalls Published: 1:00 PM PDT July 11, 2018 Updated: 6:25 AM PDT July 12, 2018 A KING 5 investigation reveals a rash of employee misconduct at Western State Hospital, the troubled state mental institution that evaluates and treats mentally ill criminal … Read More
Jury awards $25 million for negligence in Harborview stroke case
By Mike Baker | The Seattle Times A jury in King County has issued a $25 million judgment for a woman who went to Harborview Medical Center’s Stroke Center for treatment but suffered a paralyzing turn for the worse during her stay. Doctors in Montana had sent Jerri Woodring-Thueson to Seattle in October 2013 to get care at the … Read More
Co-pilot sues Alaska Airlines over alleged drugging, rape by flight captain during layover
By Lewis Kamb | The Seattle Times It seemed like any other work stopover along Alaska Airlines’ service route: After arriving in Minneapolis, the captain and his co-pilot, Betty Pina, vanpooled to the flight crew’s designated hotel and met up later in the concierge room set up with snacks and drinks for airline employees. Afterward, there was supposed to be a … Read More
Families of victims of Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting settle lawsuit for $18 million
By Mike Carter | The Seattle Times The families of the five Marysville-Pilchuck High School students shot on campus in 2014 have settled a lawsuit against the school district’s insurance company for $18 million, according to documents filed in Snohomish County Superior Court on Monday morning. The settlement stems from a lawsuit alleging that a substitute teacher had been told of … Read More
Jury awards more than $15M to family of unarmed black man killed by SWAT sniper in Fife
By Mike Carter | The Seattle Times Pierce County Metro SWAT assault-team leader Mike Wiley described the police sniper bullet that killed Leonard Thomas on the front porch of his Fife home in 2013, his 4-year-old son clasped in his arms, as a “frickin’ million-dollar shot.” A unanimous jury in federal court on Friday decided that single .308-caliber round would … Read More
Jury awards $9.5M in case involving North Kitsap fire engine
SEATTLE — A King County Superior Court jury on Thursday awarded $9.5 million to the family of a Kingston man who died in a collision with a fire truck. On the morning of July 4, 2014, Jason Foster was was riding a motor scooter on Miller Bay Road, approaching its intersection with West Kingston Road. The traffic signal turned yellow, and … Read More
County to pay $1.35M settling lawsuit dogging Sheriff Urquhart
The Seattle PI King County will pay $1.35 million to settle a lawsuit that has dogged Sheriff John Urquhart for two years. Brought by three King County Sheriff’s Office deputies, the lawsuit raised a host of claims about Urquhart’s management style and conduct. Urquhart, a longtime employee of the office who was elected sheriff in 2012, continues to dispute the … Read More