Inquest into Tukwila Man's Death

Comment by Chuck Parrish on February 27, 2013 at 8:04am

Well, we will have to wait and see what the merits of the case are. It seems like it never ends...lawsuit, lawsuit, lawsuit. I would like to ascertain how to become more informed on these sorts of things. It seems like matters of this sort end up being discussed in council executive session and, from there, who knows how to get the information. Pam Carter, do you have any insights..not on the case...but the process?

Comment by Pam Carter on March 16, 2013 at 11:25pm

Once a lawsuit is filed against the City, the City will not have much to say publicly other than the basic facts they have already released. Some lawsuits are frivilous and filed with the hope that the City will pay something just to make it go away. Going to trial is expensive as anyone who has ever paid an attorney can attest. I seem to remember a suit (against another city) claiming a traffic island was a traffic hazard when in truth the driver was very drunk when he ran into the clearly marked island. The City could hardly say the driver was a drunk jerk, even though that was the case.

Truthfully, the Council is usually briefed only on the big lawsuits -- either in dollar amounts or those that make the news. How many small suits are settled quietly or dismissed by the courts I have no idea. I can only think of two ways to learn about any suits against the City -- regularly search Superior Court filings or routinely file public records requests.

Unfortunately, lawsuits are a given whether you're a private business or a government. I understand it would be informative for citizens to know if the City was messing up but guess we'll have to figure that out by indicators other than lawsuits.

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