Page 5 - Greg Lamm News Today

A Washington federal judge has denied the state of Alaska's attempt to pause his order halting summer and winter Chinook salmon troll fishing in southeast Alaska until the federal government addresses Endangered Species Act violations, ruling Friday that the economic harm does not overcome the seriousness of the violations.

A solar installation inspector said a residential solar energy equipment company forced employees to sign illegal noncompete clauses as a condition of employment, which unreasonably restricts their ability to work, according to a proposed class action filed in Washington state court.

During opening arguments Monday, an attorney for six children and a parent asked a Washington state court jury to return a $100 million verdict against Monsanto for claims of contamination by PCBs in classroom light fixtures, in the latest in a wave of trials involving teachers and students who allegedly suffered neurological and other medical problems at a Seattle-area school.

The Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday wrestled with how the term "race" is defined in a state voting rights law and if Latinos who make up a narrow majority of the population in an Eastern Washington county had standing to sue over a local election process that allegedly was discriminatory because it diluted their vote.

A Washington appeals court panel suggested Thursday that a gun club's recreational vehicle park in Spokane County would not be illegal because it is not open to the public, but the judges also said they understand why the "bang, bang, bang" from shooting would have a negative impact on a historic cemetery and other neighbors.

A Washington federal judge has refused to toss the U.S. government's $32 million contaminated groundwater lawsuit against The Boeing Co., rejecting the aviation giant's argument that it was protected by a hold-harmless clause in a decades-old contract to build and test rockets for NASA's moonshots.

A Washington appeals judge tore into R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Friday for arguing that state and tribal cigarette taxes were legally similar, calling that argument an insult to Washington tribes, as Reynolds tries to pay less under its 1998 master settlement.

A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday challenged a Washington tech company's argument that it has free speech protection to use without permission the names and personal information of people in an online business directory to sell subscriptions.

A charter plane company said Tuesday it can't be held liable for "failing to successfully smuggle contraband" as it seeks to escape a negligence lawsuit filed by a hemp distributor over more than a ton of cannabis that was destroyed by customs agents.

West Coast landlords faced tough questions at the Ninth Circuit on Monday in attempts to preserve their power to evict tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to convince the court in three cases that state and municipal eviction bans violated their constitutional rights.