The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a sweeping legal defense against an amended lawsuit that alleges a coordinated interstate cover-up of child sex abuse in Ridgefield, Washington and Albany, Oregon.
In a 26-page opposition brief filed earlier this month, attorneys representing the LDS
On April 16, 2026, the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein of the United States District Court issued a pivotal order regarding a lawsuit filed by domestic violence survivor Gina Bloom.
According to the ruling, the court has allowed Bloom’s core allegations of retaliation and malicious prosecution against the City of
In 1844, when the Nauvoo Expositor dared to publish the inconvenient truth about an authoritarian’s secret shadow government, LDS founder Joseph Smith didn’t answer with free speech—he ordered a heavily armed posse to smash the printing press with sledgehammers.
Today in Clallam County, we are no longer
On March 13, 2026, counsel for Melissa Strawn filed a sweeping Motion for Reconsideration seeking to reverse a King County Superior Court order that stripped her of her Domestic Violence Protection Order.
At the center of this legal battle is the outsized influence of a highly scrutinized evaluator and a
The Washington State Supreme Court has officially censured and removed Judge Pro Tempore David Ruzumna from judicial office. The unanimous decision, filed on April 9, 2026, concludes a disciplinary saga that began with a controversial attempt to secure a parking discount at a Seattle garage.
As previously reported by the
Last month, we reported on a lawsuit against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, for allegedly covering up severe sexual abuse of a child in Ridgefield, Washington and Albany, Oregon.
Newly filed court documents claim that the Church’s alleged failure to protect the plaintiff, identified as
From April 6 through April 10, 2026, the digital doors to the Clallam County Superior Court will be locked.
The Clallam County Clerk’s Office has announced a total shutdown of electronic filing as it transitions to the Enterprise Justice system. For five business days, the court will revert to
For a victim of domestic abuse, the legal system is supposed to offer an exit strategy. The swift resolution of a divorce, the finalization of child custody, and the issuance of a permanent protection order create the only legally enforceable boundary between a victim and their abuser.
In Clallam County,
I recently wrote about the disqualification procedure in Washington, which can generally be used to disqualify a judge, as long as it is used before that judge makes a discretionary ruling in the case.
Our readers often ask me what can be done after a judge issues a problematic ruling.
Exactly one month after the disgraced and abrupt exit of former Court Commissioner Brian Parker, Clallam County has officially opened the search for his replacement.
An email distributed yesterday by Superior Court Administrator Lacey Halberg, confirmed that the court is now soliciting applications for the vacant position.
After a year
On March 5, 2026, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the disbarment of attorney Stephen Kenneth Monro.
The 56-page opinion, authored by Justice Mary Yu, outlines a pattern of exploitation spanning several years, in which Monro stole from vulnerable clients, collected unreasonable fees, and repeatedly lied to the Office
A Washington attorney has surrendered his law license rather than face public disciplinary hearings, this time over allegations of treating his client trust account like a personal ATM.
Hari L. Alipuria, a Tacoma-based attorney licensed since 1997, permanently resigned from the Washington State Bar Association in lieu of discipline
Last week, the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct officially opened an investigation into Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden.
The investigation follows a formal complaint alleging that Judge Basden has repeatedly endangered children and domestic violence victims by allowing his ecclesiastical role in the Church of Jesus Christ
The Washington State Supreme Court has suspended attorney Kerry P. Zeiler from practicing law in the state, mirroring a disciplinary action initially handed down by the Supreme Court of California.
The reciprocal discipline order, officially filed on January 22, 2026, places Zeiler on a three-year probation period, with an
A civil lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court alleges that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints actively concealed the predatory behavior of a Seattle high priest, allowing him to sexually abuse young girls during the 1980s.
The complaint, filed by two women identified as Jane Doe
Despite public outcry and a damning state report detailing his inefficient case management, Judge Brent Basden continues to preside over Clallam County’s most delicate family disputes.
The official court calendar reflects business as usual today, showing him scheduled to oversee adoptions at 8:30 AM, the family docket at
The Olympic Herald previously reported on a troubling pattern of unethical behavior, administrative overreach, and cronyism by Judge Brent Basden, during his time as presiding judge in Clallam County Superior Court.
However, a newly released state report exposes a failure that goes beyond questionable hiring practices: a complete administrative collapse
The Washington State Supreme Court ordered a nine-month suspension for attorney Sean Patrick Kuhlmeyer, ending a disciplinary investigation into a pattern of frivolous litigation and the mishandling of client funds.
The order, filed on August 27, 2025, requires Kuhlmeyer to serve a 24-month probation period upon his reinstatement
A lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon alleges that a Ridgefield LDS stake president and a bishop failed to intervene after learning that a Ridgefield man was sexually abusing his teenage adoptive daughter.
The complaint, filed by a plaintiff under the pseudonym “Julie
Recent events in Clallam County Superior Court have left many citizens questioning the integrity of their local justice system. Following the controversial appointment of Commissioner Brian Parker by Judge Brent Basden—despite glaring red flags—public trust in Clallam County Superior Court is at an all-time low.
Compounding the
The Washington State Supreme Court has handed down an eight-month suspension to Seattle-based family law litigator Timothy Ronald Richards, following a series of severe professional misconduct violations that occurred during his own divorce proceedings.
The suspension, effective as of January 28, 2026, highlights the intense ethical boundaries lawyers
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