How Does a Negligent Security Claim Work?

When an individual visits a mall, store, restaurant, hotel, bar, or any other type of establishment, they typically believe that they will be safe and harm-free the entire time. However, if the owner has not taken proper measures to protect the people who visit their property and someone ends up injured or hurt, the victim…

Read More

New Law Allows People to Sue Gun Manufacturers

With the new year come and gone, California has passed a new law that will allow for state residents, as well as tourists, to file lawsuits against gun manufacturers. With mass shootings at schools, grocery stores, nightclubs, movie theaters, and so on, this new law perhaps takes the right step in mitigating further tragedies. While…

Read More

Crimes With Unintended Consequences

There’s a wonderful new book by Amor Towles called Lincoln Highway. In the story two adolescents fight. One teenager falls backward, trips over a cable, strikes his head on a concrete block, and dies nearly two months later. The adolescent who struck the fatal blow is then sentenced to a state work farm. The warden…

Read More

Criminal Justice Reforms by Progressive Prosecutors

Most county, city, and state district attorneys across Washington and the country were former prosecutors. Prosecutors represent the state by trying defendants for the crimes they’ve been charged with violating. It’s the rare exception for a public defender to be elected as a district attorney. Yet, in Philadelphia, former public defender and civil rights attorney…

Read More

Chain of Custody in Drug Cases

The police and prosecutors must account for the evidence they seize from you, or that is used against you. In drug cases, the accounting must take place from the moment any drugs are seized, and from the moment there are any chemical evaluations of the drugs. It’s only through an accounting of who handled the…

Read More

2019 Hate Crime Statistics Release by the FBI

Many federal and state crimes are motivated by hate and prejudice. Hate crimes include offenses that are based on bias toward victims because of their race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, disability, religion, and other identity factors. These offenses usually are distinct crimes separate and apart from other offenses. Hate crimes also include standard criminal…

Read More

What Are the Penalties for Shoplifting in Washington?

Shoplifting might sound like a minor crime – slipping something into your pocket and walking away. However, under state law, shoplifting charges are a misdemeanor or even a felony, meaning not only might you have to pay fines and perform community service if convicted, but you may also have to serve jail time. The severity…

Read More