Seattle woman says she became anorexic due to bullying

By Tracy Vedder | KOMO News SEATTLE — A local woman says she was slapped, taunted and bullied until she became anorexic, and it all happened when she attended a private middle school just for girls. The Seattle Girls’ School just settled a lawsuit with Olivia Ray, who hopes her story empowers other young girls to stand up to bullying. … Read More

Pierce County sued over excessive force claim

By Adam Lynn | The News Tribune The parents of a man who died after being beaten, Tasered and hog-tied by sheriff’s deputies are suing Pierce County for $10 million. Raymond and Margaret Hillstrom contend deputies used excessive force in subduing their 44-year-old son, Ronald Hillstrom, in the parking lot of a University Place apartment complex this spring. “The use … Read More

When is Rape a Title IX Civil Rights Action?

 By Nathan P. Roberts & Anna L. Price | Trial News Title IX of the Civil Rights Act was enacted in June 1972 with the purpose of eliminating discrimination on the basis of sex in America’s education system.  In February 2012, as the forty-year anniversary of Title IX approached, a young woman was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of a … Read More

Family claims University Place man died from police brutality

Keith Eldridge | KOMO News UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — The family of a University Place man who died shortly after being tased and arrested wants the officers to pay. But the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t believe the officers caused the death. Both sides point to cellphone video taken of the arrest to show their points. As soon as neighbors … Read More

State to pay $8M to settle child abuse, neglect claim

By Brian Rosenthal |The Seattle Times OLYMPIA — Six siblings who said they suffered 2½ years of physical abuse and neglect while living with a family friend will get a combined $8 million from Washington state as part of a legal settlement reached this week. The King County children, who are now between 9 and 21 years old, said in … Read More

Leveling the Playing Field

By Nathan Roberts | Bar Bulletin The first thing a visitor notices when stepping into our Tacoma office is the large painting of Joan of Arc that hangs behind the front desk. The young heroine is depicted sitting on a white stallion, holding a banner aloft, leading her armies against a fortified castle. Jack Connelly, the firm’s founder and managing … Read More