Government Liability for Negligent Response to 911 Calls
When people call 911 because someone is in imminent threat of serious harm, prompt response by law enforcement or emergency response personnel is essential. If help is delayed because a 911 operator misclassifies a call as a low priority, the 911 agency can be held responsible for a resulting death or injury.
Darcy Covert Presents at WACDL Annual Conference on Civil Rights in Jails and Prisons
On June 12, 2026, I presented at the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Annual Conference on the topic of civil rights in jails and prisons. When I was a public defender, many of my clients had...
Melanie Nguyen in Bar News: Fifty Years Since the Fall of Saigon
To mark 50 years since the Fall...
When the Federal Government Raids the Wrong House: What Martin v. United States Teaches Us About Government Accountability
It’s early morning. You’re at home with your family, having dinner, maybe still in bed, when suddenly your front door is blown open. Flash-bang grenades go off. Boom! Agents in tactical gear rush in, shouting. “Get down! get down!” ...
Ninth Circuit Ruling in Estate of Soakai v. Abdelaziz Strengthens “Shock the Conscience” and State-Created Danger Claims in Police Chase Cases
In the case of Estate of Soakai v. Abdelaziz, --- F.4th ----, 2025 WL 1417105 (May 16, 2025), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action involving two police officers, Walid Abdelaziz and Jimmy Marin-Coronel, who...
Police Shooting Lawsuit Filed Against the City of Auburn in Wrongful Death of Enosa Strickland Jr.
The lawsuit is based on the events of May 20, 2019 involving Auburn Officers Kenneth...
Peaceful protesters ask the Court to amend their lawsuit against the City, State, and County
Yesterday, SKKM Firm and Cedar Law PLLC filed a motion to amend the civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of peaceful George Floyd/BLM protesters against the City of Seattle, King County, and State. 20 more plaintiffs will be joining the suit, bringing the total to 55. The driver, Dawit Kelete, who...
Supreme Court Upholds Verdict Finding Police Negligent in Execution of Arrest Warrant
By Lisa Benedetti
Today, the Washington State Supreme Court reaffirmed that police can be held liable for the negligent performance of their duties...
Court of Appeals Hears Charleena Lyles Case
Charleena Lyles was shot and killed by Seattle Police Department officers in June 2017. Our firm was hired to represent her estate and four children and filed a lawsuit on September 8, 2017. On January 4, 2019, the trial court dismissed...
Peaceful Protesters Protect Their Civil Rights in Lawsuit Against the City of Seattle and State of Washington
Today the SKKM Firm filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and State of Washington on behalf of peaceful protesters in Seattle. All...