Williams Kastner Welcomes Jerome Rubin to the Seattle Office
January 1, 2017 (Seattle, WA) – Williams Kastner is pleased to announce the addition of leading labor and employment attorney Jerome Rubin to the Seattle office. Mr. Rubin brings over 30 years of experience to the firm. He will join the firm’s Labor and Employment practice group. He concentrates his practice in labor and employment...
Williams Kastner Adds Eleven Attorneys To Portland Office
Beginning on January 1, 2017, the lawyers of the Portland-based firm of Greene & Markley will join forces with the Pacific Northwest law firm of Williams Kastner. The new firm will be known as Williams Kastner in Washington and Alaska, and Williams Kastner Greene & Markley in Oregon. “We are impressed with the reputation and...
Williams Kastner Announces 2017 New Members
December 1, 2016 ─ Williams Kastner is pleased to announce the new attorneys to be admitted to the firm’s membership, effective January 1, 2017. Earning a place in Williams Kastner’s 2017 member class are: Shawn Rediger, Eliot Harris, Malika Johnson, Nicole Mackenzie, & Markos Scheer. “We are pleased to be adding these talented individuals to the...
Williams Kastner Welcomes Steven Cade to the Portland Office
November 1, 2016 (Portland, OR) – Williams Kastner is pleased to announce the addition of Steven Cade to the Portland office. Mr. Cade will join the firm’s Business Litigation practice group. His practice focuses on the areas of construction law, products liability, transportation law, and commercial litigation. Mr. Cade is a proud veteran of the US Army, Infantry,...
Defending Nighttime Trucking Accidents
A recent trend has emerged in which plaintiff lawyers attempt to turn every nighttime accident into a case of driver fatigue, poor maintenance, and corporate negligence. By understanding the unique issues involved in nighttime accidents and the science of driver fatigue, a defense can be prepared to counter these frequently baseless arguments, which are intended...
Arley Harrel Elected to University of Washington Alumni Association Board of Trustees
Arley Harrel, a member in the Seattle office and member of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of the University of Washington Alumni Association. Mr. Harrel began serving his three year term on August 1st, 2016. The UW Alumni Association Board of Trustees manages the affairs of...
Sheryl Willert Recognized in Puget Sound Business Journal
Sheryl Willert, a member in Williams Kastner’s Seattle office and the firm’s former Managing Director, was recognized in Puget Sound Business Journal article titled “Meet the 191 Women Business Leaders Who Have Shaped the Puget Sound Region“
WASHINGTON FEDERAL COURT FINDS NO “OCCURRENCE” UNDER HOMEOWNERS’ POLICY BASED ON INSURED’S VIOLATION OF CONDOMINIUM BYLAWS
Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2016 Two of the most commonly disputed issues regarding coverage under the insuring clause of a homeowner’s liability policy are whether “property damage” took place, and whether such damage was caused by an “occurrence.” In a recent case in Washington, the Court adopted a broad interpretation of “property damage” under a homeowner’s...
IDAHO SUPREME COURT RULES ANTI-STACKING CLAUSE IN INSURANCE POLICY IS AMBIGUOUS
Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2016 Insurers seeking to limit their liability may include so-called “anti-stacking” language in their policies. Such policy language is designed to limit the total available coverage to one policy and prevent the insured from “stacking” multiple policies on top of each other to expand the limits of available coverage. However, despite its...
WASHINGTON COURT FINDS NO “COLLAPSE” COVERAGE DESPITE ENGINEER’S OPINION THAT BUILDING COULD NOT SUPPORT REQUIRED LOADS UNDER THE BUILDING CODE
Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2016 For decades, Washington insurers have faced building “collapse” claims despite the fact that no Washington Court had rendered a clear definition of what “collapse” meant. That changed last year when the Washington Supreme Court held in Queen Anne Park Homeowners Association v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, 352 P.3d 790...
WASHINGTON APPELLATE COURT EXPANDS APPLICATION OF IMPLIED WAIVER OF ATTORNEY-CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS DURING DISCOVERY FOR REASONABLENESS HEARING FOLLOWING A COVENANT JUDGMENT
Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2016 On July 26, 2016, the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II held that an implied waiver of attorney-client communications may occur when an insured enters into a covenant judgment with a claimant and an insurer challenges the reasonableness of the settlement. However, the Court held that, under the proper standards, the...
ALASKA FEDERAL COURT REFUSES TO NARROWLY DEFINE CONTRACTOR IN INTERPRETING AN EXCLUSION
Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2016 In a recent opinion, Judge John Sedwick of United States District Court for the District of Alaska refused an insured’s assertion that the term “contractor,” in the Contractors Exclusion, was limited to contractors in the construction industry. Instead, the Court looked to the plain and common meaning of the term and...