Articles by Gene Johnson

Washington AG Says Catholic Church Stonewalling Sex Abuse Investigation

The Catholic church is refusing to cooperate with a Washington state investigation into whether it unlawfully used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said, asking a court to force the Seattle Archdiocese …

Appeals Court Rejects Climate Change Suit by Young Oregon Activists

A federal appeals court panel last week rejected a long-running lawsuit brought by young Oregon-based climate activists who argued that the U.S. government’s role in climate change violated their constitutional rights. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ordered …

10 Years After Washington Landslide, Climate Change Is Increasing The Danger

After the mountainside collapsed, obliterating a neighborhood and 43 lives in the worst landslide disaster in U.S. history in Washington, Jessica Pzsonka made a promise -– to herself, to her bereft parents and to her late sister, who was buried …

Seattle Will Pay $10M to Protesters Who Said Police Used Excessive Force During 2020 Protests

Seattle has agreed to pay $10 million to 50 demonstrators who sued over the police department’s heavy-handed response to racial justice protests in 2020, in a settlement announced by attorneys from both sides. The protesters were among tens of thousands …

Hawaii Fire Shows Wildfires Pose Particular Threat to Elderly and Other Vulnerable Individuals

Sharlene Rabang and her calico cat fled the wildfire that destroyed her town on Maui and arrived at a family home on another Hawaii island after a 24-hour odyssey that included sleeping in a car. Dazed, coughing and weak, the …

Seattle Man Arrested After Detective Made False Statements Gets $225K

King County, Washington will pay $225,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by a Black man who was arrested on drug charges after a veteran detective made false statements to obtain a search warrant, including misidentifying him in a …

Idaho Woman Files Lawsuit Against Fertility Doctor

An Idaho woman is suing her one-time fertility doctor, saying he secretly used his own sperm to inseminate her 34 years ago, the latest in a string of such cases brought as at-home DNA sampling enables people to learn more …

Three Passengers Sue Alaska Airlines After Off-Duty Pilot Accused of Trying to Cut Engines

Three passengers sued Alaska Airlines, saying they suffered emotional distress from an incident last month in which an off-duty pilot is accused of trying to shut down the engines of a plane while catching a ride in the cockpit from …

Averted Disaster on Horizon Air Flight Renews Scrutiny of Mental Health in Cockpit

What authorities describe as an off-duty pilot`s attempt to shut down the engines of a Horizon Air flight with more than 80 people on board has renewed attention on the mental fitness of those allowed in the cockpit. Joseph Emerson, …

Idaho Woman Files Lawsuit Against Fertility Doctor

An Idaho woman is suing her one-time fertility doctor, saying he secretly used his own sperm to inseminate her 34 years ago, the latest in a string of such cases brought as at-home DNA sampling enables people to learn more …