Jury verdict against State DCYF in 50-year-old foster child sex abuse case
Following a two week jury trial, two former foster children, prevailed in a lawsuit against the State for the devastating child sex abuse and rape they suffered 50 years ago at the hands of a now registered sex offender. This is one of the oldest known cases tried to a jury under...
Lawsuits Filed Against Washington Counties for Decades of Child Sexual Abuse in Juvenile Detention
SEATTLE, WA — Stritmatter Law has filed two separate civil lawsuits against Benton-Franklin County and Grays Harbor County on behalf of nine survivors who were allegedly sexually abused as minors while detained in county-operated juvenile detention facilities. The plaintiffs—now adults—allege that detention officers used their positions of authority to groom, coerce,...
Former Child Pop Star, Stacie Orrico, Sues Christian Music Industry For Sexual Assault
Los Angeles, California - Former Christian music pop star Stacie Orrico has filed suit against the music companies and child predator manager who stole her childhood.
Ms. Orrico was discovered by the Christian music industry when at the age of 12 she won a singing competition in 1998. By...
UPEPA Meets #MeToo: The Washington Court of Appeals’ Blunt Message to Lawsuits Aimed at Silencing Survivors
(Content Warning: discussion of sexual assault and grooming behavior)
On December 30, 2025, the Washington Court of Appeals dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by a pastor against his employee and parishioner after she referred to a sexual encounter between them as “rape.” While the outcome is notable, what I...
Bethel School District Sued for Failing to Supervise Student Sex Offender Who Allegedly Assaulted a 10th Grader in a School Bathroom
Pierce County, WA – A lawsuit has been filed against Bethel School District No. 403 for its failures in monitoring a student with a known history of sexual misconduct, exposing innocent students to the risk of sexual assault on school premises.
The complaint alleges that the court had previously...
Deputy’s Sexual Assault Lawsuit for Training Academy Misconduct Settles for $500,000
A female deputy with the goal of joining police ranks to help better serve her community has settled her lawsuit against Washington’s law enforcement training academy, the Federal Way Police Department, and training officer Richard Klein.
The lawsuit alleged that the Academy (which is mandatory for law enforcement officers)...
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: How Civil Litigation Empowers Survivors When the Criminal System Falls Short
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and while much of the focus tends to be on the criminal prosecution of abusers, there’s a crucial avenue that often gets overlooked: civil litigation. It’s not the route many think of first, but for countless survivors of domestic violence, it can be the difference...
Unyielding Hope: Navigating the Path to Justice After Systemic Failure
In the labyrinthine corridors of the criminal justice system, victims of sexual abuse often find themselves navigating a maze of hope, despair, and unanswered questions. Such was the journey of a young woman we represented who bravely stepped forward to accuse her cheer coach of molestation, only to watch as the system...
16-Year-Old Teenager Sues Bellevue Cheer Coach Molester
Unwilling to passively be a victim, a teenager has filed a lawsuit against the Bellevue cheer coach who she claims sexually abused her.
The suit alleges that 50-year-old Brian Antich, who owned and operated Action Athletics, Inc., began to target the teen from the age of 14. And that...