Questions tagged [washington]
Questions concerning the laws, criminal justice system, civil court procedures and related topics specific to the State of Washington, NOT Washington, DC. For questions pertaining to Washington DC use the "district-of-columbia" tag.
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Arrested for trespassing in church open to public [closed]
A friend in WA State was recently arrested and indicted for criminal trespassing at a church. Video evidence is clear: no disruption. No outstanding warrants nor trespass. A member of the church said ...
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Can one legally use force to stop someone from damaging their property? [duplicate]
Alice is throwing rocks through Bob's house's windows. Bob asks Alice to stop, but she ignores him, and continues.
Is Bob legally allowed to use force to make Alice stop damaging his property?
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Is it illegal to warm up your car?
According to this article, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 46.61.600 prohibits people from starting their cars in Washington State if they're unoccupied. However, it's a common practice for ...
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Why are jurors asked if each element of a crime is proved, rather than the crime as a whole
After seeing the State of Washington Jury instructions for manslaughter as quoted in this answer https://law.stackexchange.com/a/96079/388, I'm wondering why the instruction is "if... each of ...
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WA rules HOA and outdoor cats
Are HoAs in Washington state allowed to ban outdoor cats and restrict cat owners to keep cats indoors only?
Thank you
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If you are a state employee, what responsibility does your employer have to provide legal council when you are acting on its behalf?
This question came up during public records training at a public organization in Washington state, but I am interested in the general case. That said, I've provided the specific hypothetical about ...
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How do computer trespass laws intersect with public records laws in Washington state?
Suppose a state-run organization in Washington state receives a public records request that is broad (but not overly broad). In attempting to fulfill the request, an employee discovers that some ...
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Is a thumbs-up emoji considered as legally binding agreement in the United States?
I read that a thumbs-up emoji considered as legally binding agreement in Canada. Is a thumbs-up emoji considered as legally binding agreement in the United States?
If state-specific, I am mostly ...
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Is there a statute requiring contractors to bill in a timely manner?
Let’s say that Bob has work done to his home. Some payments are made per the contract, but the final payment requires some adjustments to be made to account for changes agreed to during the project, ...
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In washington state can a landlord suddenly rescind an agreed rent renewal with no forewarning?
First section below is the detailed scenario of the requested relevant law(s), and below that is the questioning of the scenario's legality:
Abby has a lease that ends in May, and was offered a lease ...
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Prevailing party is partially successful and there is an agreement regarding attorney's fees [closed]
There is an agreement between two parties that in the event of a lawsuit to recover fees, the prevailing party is to be awarded attorney's fees. A lawsuit results in the plaintiff being awarded only ...
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Illegal to renew cat's urinary food prescription if no yearly examination in WA State, USA?
My friend's cat had emergency bladder stone surgery a couple of years ago. They put the cat on prescription urinary food my friend ordered online. The vet is refusing to renew the prescription because ...
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Is making napalm illegal in Washington state?
Is making it illegal in WA? Can I make it but not use it? Is there a special place/location where it must be used? These are all questions that have baffled me for a while now.
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Overcoming a presumption of guilt
Give the legal adage "innocent until proven guilty", would a requirement by the state to overcome a presumption of guilt only by signing, under penalty of perjury, a "declaration of non-...
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*Buecking* holding finds that cooling-off days for decrees of transitory legal separation do not count for in rem decrees of divorce
The Buecking holding unambiguously finds that cooling off days for transitory decrees of legal separation do not count for cooling off days in rem decrees of divorce.
The Dissolution Act of 1973 ...
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In Washington State, is a petition void or nul if there's no judge's signature for 476 days after filing with clerk's stamp?
Is there a "lazy judge rule" for civil procedure in WA state?
In Indiana:
Failure to Rule on a Motion and Delay of Judgments
Under T.R. 53.2, if a judge takes a cause tried to the court ...
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Can I have a vehicle towed that’s parked in the fire lane by my apartment?
The issue is as the question states. I rent an apartment with far too few spots for the amount of people in my building. This is remedied by there being excess spots in front of other apartment ...
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Is shipping an 80% lower to someone in Washington Illegal
I was apart of a conversation where one person who lives in the state of Washington wanted someone who lives in Texas to buy a glock 80% lower for them and ship it to them in Texas. To me, this sounds ...
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Limits on right to demand a jury?
Section 21 of the Washington State Constitution states:
The right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate, but the legislature may provide for a jury of any number less than twelve in courts not of ...
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Implications of lots of non-permitted work in a house purchase/sale [closed]
Looking at houses, we have found one that has been completely redone (footings to rafters in many places) but without permits for the most part. The original house was from 1908, it was redone and ...
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Can I record myself cooking on camera, in the kitchen community space of the house that I rent a room at, and not be in violation of 9.73.030?
I rent a room with a few other housemates, and I was wondering if I can record myself in the kitchen cooking and not be in violation of 9.73.030.
I understand that Washington State is a two party ...
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Can I record a disciplinary hearing with school officials in WA state
My child is 12 and has a long documented disability. The (public) school district has not provided appropriate support and has even mislead me on qualifications of the paraeducator assigned to him. ...
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I was offered a job, but the contract concerns me
I have been offered a job, but while looking over the contract I found a paragraph that concerns me. I don't want to lose the right to any software that I write or develop outside of the company that ...
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In Washington state, can a Home Owners Association allow home owners to keep pets, but not renters?
My friend lives in an apartment building in Washington where the bylaws allow home owners to keep dogs and cats, but states that renters are not allowed to keep any pets. Is this legal according to ...
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How would I get rid of a lawsuit that incorrectly names me as the defendant?
Somewhere on the Internet, there's an obscure business directory that has me incorrectly listed as the local Little League sports program. For the purposes of this question, assume the entry reads as ...
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How close from a bus stop sign am I allowed to park my car in Washington state?
I wonder how close from a bus stop sign I am allowed to park my car in Washington state. If that depends on the city, I'm interested in Spokane. If that depends on the county, I'm interested in ...
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Default judgement on failure to respond to summons
In the case "Raising Cane's USA, LLC et al v. Twins Chicken Inc", Plaintiff delivers a summons and Defendant appears to never reply. After 3 months, Plaintiff voluntarily withdraws their ...
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My car was towed out of the city to another county, do city laws apply to maximum fees?
My car was Towed out of Seattle and into Burien, the Seattle website listing maximum fees a towing company can charge says "From private property in Seattle", am I correct in reading that as ...
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In Washington: Is it legal to sell alcohol to someone without an ID who looks 90 years old, after asking to see their ID?
At the store I used to work at, if you ask for ID, the customer NEEDS to provide it. They could have grey hair, a cane, and even be verified as 21+ by someone else, and it still wouldn't matter. We ...
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Is self-defense allowed when there are objectively reasonable grounds but it is actually done subjectively for improper reasons?
Suppose that someone uses deadly self-defense in circumstances when it would have been objectively reasonable to do so (e.g., someone has a gun pointed at you and has threatened to shoot). But, the ...
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Valid definition of "vagrant" per Washington state law
RCW 9.66.010 suggests that in "every place... [w]here vagrants resort... [e]very act unlawfully done and every omission to perform a duty, which act or omission [s]hall offend public decency"...
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Is a conversation "private" (in a two-party state) if it is at your desk at work with a co-worker?
In the context of an in-person conversation in the State of Washington (a two-party state), an online reference states:
Whether a conversation or other communications is "private" depends on
a ...
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Is volunteer work subject to the same labor laws as paid work?
Is volunteer work subject to the same labor laws (only 3 hours during school days + Minor Release form for students, for example) as paid work?
More specific question: can a minor work unlimited hours ...
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A contractor did nothing including no contact for over 90 days - can he put a lien now? [closed]
Suppose a person A had a contractor B do work on A's home that ended six months ago and then there was some followup paperwork that last had action in April. The last communication was in May.
...
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Would a lifetime gym membership be subject to bankruptcy proceedings?
A person in the state of Washington purchases a gym membership that entitles them (and them alone) to visit the gym for the rest of their lifetime, in exchange for a single lump sum payment. A few ...
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Storage unit restricted access and forced a move before contract termination
I leased a storage unit in Washington State, USA. The contract states that I needed to give notice to vacate before the 20th of the month and that I need to vacate before 5:00 pm on the last day of ...
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Landlord charging fee for pets we don't have
We are moving out of an apartment in Cheney Washington and our landlord is charging us a fee for having pets, but we have never had a pet of any kind in the apartment. Is that legal?
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Can a married couple be charged with a traffic infraction?
In the state of Washington USA, my daughter and son-in-law were joint recipients of a red light camera ticket. The law clearly states that the "operator of the motor vehicle" is responsible ...
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Would I be liable for damage caused by a vehicle fault, if a mechanic has told me the fault doesn't exist?
Hypothetical situation: I notice my car's brakes are making funny noises, so I take the car to my mechanic to have it checked out. The mechanic inspects the car and informs me that the noise is ...
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Renting a property for more than one year
I read the following sentence on a website regarding rental properties in Washington:
In Washington State, if your lease is longer than 1 year a Legal Description of the property is required along ...
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Firearm transfer between CA and WA
I recently had a grandfather pass away and he left behind a beautiful Colt Trooper MK V .357. He lived in Santa Barbara, California and me and my dad are flying down there tomorrow to get some ...
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Temporarily housing a construction worker [closed]
There is a construction worker that has their own abode in a different state and is in process of moving to Washington State. It would be convenient to allow them to stay in my home under construction....
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Right to show photographs without permission in a church setting
It seems there is a right to publicly share photographs of people taken without their permission, if the photographs are taken in public places.
Would that right apply to a church setting? Or would ...
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What is the minimum effort required to validate that a landlord-tenant communication is genuine if it isn't signed?
In the state of Washington can tenants disregard written communications from landlords if they are not signed?
For example, if 2 printed letters are posted (on different days) notifying of a rent ...
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Is recording a conversation with school officials on school property without consent legal in Washington State/Bellevue?
I have a student-administration meeting (voluntary) with a couple of other students and school administration. This meeting is being held over a walkout held recently within the school, and I would ...
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Married couple moving from a common law state to a community property state: California and Washington approach this differently?
If a married couple moves from a common law state to a community property state, do the properties they acquired after marriage (other than some prescribed exceptions) become their community property?
...
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In WA state, can a landlord unilaterally impose a recurring fee to continue a lease on a month-to-month basis?
In the Washington state (outside of King county), assuming there is an existing month-to-month lease agreement, is there anything in the real estate law to prevent a landlord from imposing a recurring ...
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What does it mean to structure a tax law as an excise tax in Washington state?
I read on https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/lawsuit-against-washingtons-new-capital-gains-tax-can-move-forward-judge-rules/
Democratic lawmakers have said they structured the new law ...
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Does a road street sign about parking apply before or after the sign in the United States?
I wonder whether a road street sign about parking applies before or after the sign. Location: Seattle, Washington, United States.
Example: in the picture below, I wonder whether the 3-minute ...
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What types of recourse do I have against people who contact my employers about thing I have of Facebook?
I made a factual statement about mathematics on Facebook. A group of people took exception to what I said and decided that they would contact my employer because they thought it made me unfit to be a ...
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