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Individual Laborers Granted Lien Rights by Court
It has been generally assumed that only licensed contractors were entitled to file lien claims in the state of Washington for work they performed on real property for which they were not paid in full.1 That assumption has now been discarded in the re...
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Washington State Sets Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction Requirements for Major Sources
Today the Washington State Department of Ecology adopted a new rule to limit carbon dioxide emissions from major sources.
Beginning in 2017, entities that emit more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year must reduce their emissions by 1...
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If You Purchase Contaminated Property, Is It Covered?
Can a policyholder that knowingly purchases contaminated property be covered for the costs of cleaning up that property under policies of insurance issued before the purchase? Yes, according to a new unpublished decision from the Washington Court o...
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In Washington, Coverage for Sole Proprietorship Must Include Broad Definition of "Insured"
I ran across a cautionary tale recently in a new Washington federal-court decision in Staheli v. Chicago Insurance Company. The lesson: in Washington, or any other community-property state, a liability policy covering a sole proprietorship must...
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Different Approaches to the Duty to Defend in Oregon and Washington
May 23, 2016
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Oregon and Washington are often viewed as sister states, similar in their climates, policies and attitudes. Yet, while the two states share a border and a uniquely Pacific Northwest culture, their approaches to insurance law differ greatly. In part...
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A Washington Court of Appeals Reaffirms State's Strong Vested Rights Doctrine
The Washington Department of Ecology issued the 2013-2018 Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit, which required certain counties and cities to adopt local regulations for controlling stormwater sewer systems for new development, redevelopment, and cons...
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