Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC

In a recent article by the Renton Reporter PCVA Attorney Ben Watson said, “Despite his prior conviction and s*x offender status, Discovery Playtown hired Joseph Hefner as a daycare employee." This article highlights PCVA's case against Maple Valley's Discovery Playtown former employee Joseph Jones who allegedly s*xually abused children.

Click here to learn more about our recent lawsuit.

Lawsuit filed against Maple Valley daycare in grooming case | Renton Reporter Attorneys have filed a civil lawsuit against a Maple Valley daycare center after the criminal investigation of an employee at the center resulted in felony charges of child s*x offenses.

FOX 13 Seattle covered the recent lawsuit we filed for one of several individuals we are representing who were s*xually abused as children by Father Edward C. Boyle. Click the link to learn more about our client who filed against the Seattle Catholic Archdiocese earlier today.

WA man alleges years of s*xual abuse at Catholic school in Seattle A Shoreline man is suing the Seattle Catholic Archdiocese for protecting a priest he says groomed and s*xually abused him in the early 1980s at St. John Catholic School.

PCVA is proud to have ten attorneys recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 Edition! Their leadership, expertise, and passion for justice continues to set the bar for legal excellence.

Four attorneys from PCVA were recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. These talented attorneys are making waves early in their careers and already setting new standards of excellence in the legal field.

On behalf of PCVA Law, attorneys Zabrina Delgado and Jeremiah Surface accepted the highest contributor award for last year’s Associates Campaign for Equal Justice hosted by the Legal Foundation of Washington.

This is the third year in a row PCVA has been a leader in the Campaign for Equal Justice that provides access to legal aid for people in Washington. We can't wait to rock the Associates Campaign again this year!

You can join us with a donation to Legal Foundation of Washington here: https://legalfoundation.org/givenow/

Welcome our newest associate attorney, Caroline Golshan! Caroline joins our Seattle team at PCVA and focuses on s*x abuse and catastrophic injury cases. She is constantly striving to best serve, protect, and seek restitution for survivors of s*xual abuse and catastrophic injuries due to her innate drive to challenge herself, help others in need, and improve the lives of innocent children.

Click here to learn more about Caroline.
https://www.pcva.law/attorneys/caroline-golshan/

We took PCVA out to the ballgame! 🎶⚾️🧢

Colleen's evolution to becoming a lawyer is beautifully written in this article by Super Lawyers. Click the link to read how PCVA Partner Colleen is making her childhood dreams of becoming a "girl warrior" come true.

When she was very young, Colleen Durkin Peterson called her future career “girl warrior” instead of “girl lawyer.” Turns out Peterson, now a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney at Tacoma’s Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC, was right all along. https://tinyurl.com/df5v38js

The cases mean Green Hill is failing in its mission to rehabilitate its young residents and is harming them instead. They experience, “shame, embarrassment, and then not being able to have meaningful relationships with others,” said Patrick Brown, PCVA attorney, during his interview with King 5 News.

Green Hill School has a record of s*xual abuse that is far too long, and attorneys like Patrick are fighting for justice against the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to bring awareness to these ongoing issues and justice to survivors.

Washington youth detention facility pays millions in s*x abuse settlements against staff KING 5 Investigators have found a state department has quietly paid millions of dollars to settle s*x abuse claims against Green Hill School staff members.

We all want to do well for our clients, but just giving a voice to people matters, and that’s why I ended up becoming a plaintiff’s attorney,” said PCVA Partner Colleen Durkin Peterson who was featured in the Washington Super Lawyers magazine.

When she was young, her dad let her hang out often in his law office and observe him in court—though he might not have had much choice. “I wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Durkin Peterson admits. “Maybe that was already a little lawyer trait.”

Read the full story here.

‘Girl Warrior’ Article «‘Girl Warrior’» published in 2024 Washington Super Lawyers Magazine July 2024

We heart WSAJ. It's that time of year to register for the annual Convention. This is a great opportunity for lawyers to earn CLE credits, network with fellow trial lawyers, and enjoy Suncadia. Registration details in the post below.

It's August 1st and do you know what that means? WSAJ's Annual Convention in Suncadia is NEXT MONTH! We have three days of CLE, built-in flex time to explore beautiful Cle Elum, receptions and parties to bond with your colleagues, AND MORE! All we need now is for you to register here: https://bit.ly/3WvAEw5

"These are among the worst crimes in our civil system, [and] among the worst sins in our moral belief system,” Pfau said. “So the Catholic Church should do everything in its ability to be accountable and to be transparent. Only then can the church move on.”

This week we filed 2 additional child s*xual abuse cases against the Seattle Archdiocese surrounding known perpetrator Terry McGrath. PCVA Partner Michael T. Pfau Pfau sat down with NPR to provide further commentary on these ongoing investigations.

Read the article here: https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-archdiocese-faces-new-s*x-abuse-lawsuits-naming-known-offenders

*xabuse

Seattle Archdiocese faces new s*x abuse lawsuits naming known offenders News & Stories Seattle Archdiocese faces new s*x abuse lawsuits naming known offenders Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez August 06, 2024 / 4:47 pm The main cathedral for the Seattle Archdiocese is the St. James Cathedral. Joe Wolf, Flickr The Archdiocese of Seattle faces two new lawsuits for alleged child se...

We are proud to announce that eleven of our attorneys have been named to the Washington 2024 Rising Stars list!

These awards are a distinguished honor and reflect the countless hours of dedication, passion, and unparalleled advocacy for our clients.

Congratulations Mallory Allen, Patrick Brown, Zabrina Delgado, Alex Dietz, Anelga Doumanian, Bridget Grotz, William McClure, Michael McNeil, Lesley O'Neill, Andrew Ulmer, and Benjamin Watson on this well-deserved honor. Your professionalism and hard work set the standard for excellence in our field.

Nine PCVA Partners have been named to the 2024 Washington Super Lawyers list and we are so proud!

Congratulations to our 2024 Super Lawyers selectees, Michael T. Pfau, Darrell L. Cochran, Thomas B. Vertetis, Jason P. Amala, Elizabeth Calora, Colleen Durkin Peterson, Chris Love, Vincent Nappo, and Steve Reich.

Super Lawyers is a high achievement based on peer reviews and backed by attorney data research that recognizes attorneys for career achievements, community involvement, and more. We are honored to have nine partners make the 2024 list when only the top 5% of Washington attorneys are selected to the list every year.

With a proven track record of justice and fairness, Nick Brown is known for his strong leadership skills, deep community ties, and progressive values. PCVA was honored to host an event for Nick along with the Justice for All PAC to show our support for his Washington Attorney General campaign.

PCVA is honored to be partnering with Pierce County Washington Women Lawyers for their annual school supplies drive starting next week August 5th-9th to support YWCA! The YWCA is a local organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and ensuring all people in our community have the opportunity to thrive.

Please join us in supporting this amazing organization by participating in our school supply drive this coming week. Together, we can make a difference.

“I don’t feel like I got my whole story out,” said Rachel Pittman, because there was no trial. “But hopefully the money helps me bring justice to other children.”

More than two years after the complaint was filed in February 2022, the sisters’ lawyer, Vincent Nappo said a settlement was reached and Washington state will pay $15 million to settle claims by three sisters who said the state Department of Social and Health Services failed to protect them from years of s*xual abuse by their teenage foster brothers at their home just south of Centralia.

Read the Seattle Times article here:

WA to pay $15 million to sisters who alleged abuse at foster home near Centralia Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families failed to protect the sisters from years of s*xual abuse, the sisters' lawsuit alleged.

We were honored to host Commissioner Ingrid McLeod and witness the incredible outpouring of support for her Pierce County Superior Court Judicial campaign. Thank you to everyone who joined us to rally behind such a dedicated advocate for justice.

If you don’t know him, we think you should. We are more than proud of Jason’s leadership in our firm and across the nation.

“Courageous, thoughtful, insightful, and a lawyer who thinks outside the box — someone who is willing to push other lawyers and the court to do the right thing. Since the start of his career, Jason has not stopped taking risks and pushing the envelope. Always looking around the next corner, Jason is a lawyer you want on your team.”

Read the full profile in KCBA’s Bar Bulletin here: https://www.kcba.org/?blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=109637&pg=News-Bar-Bulletin

The State of Washington agrees to pay $15 million to our clients, three sisters, who were s*xually abused for years at a foster home in Centralia. The abuse spanned 1990 and 2000, starting at ages four, five, and six, and lasted until they were teenagers. Two teenage sons of the foster parents are accused of carrying out the abuse.

The home the sisters were placed in was described as a “compound” with a “cult-like” environment. The foster parents had seven biological children, and at times there were as many as 12 children in the home, who were all physically abused as well with extreme “corporal punishment.”

Read the full story here:

WA to pay $15 million to 3 women s*xually abused in foster home for years, attorneys say The State of Washington has agreed to pay $15 million to three sisters who were s*xually abused for years at a foster home in Centralia, according to attorneys representing them.

State of Washington agrees to pay $15,000,000 to our clients, three sisters who were s*xually abused at a foster home in Centralia, Washington in the 1990s. According to Partner Vinnie Nappo, the State completely failed in its responsibility to protect foster children, the most vulnerable members of our communities: “The State removed our clients from drug addicted parents only to place them in a horror house of s*xual abuse, physical violence and literal torture.”

Partner Mallory Allen says, “We commend the State on the settlement, which will allow our clients to avoid a lengthy and painful jury trial. But more than anything else, our clients hope it sends a strong message to the State to be vigilant in their placements and supervision of foster children.”

Read more: https://www.pcva.law/news/state-of-washington-will-pay-15-million-to-three-women-s*xually-abused-in-foster-care-as-children/

PCVA attorneys Kevin Hastings and Andy Ulmer obtained a $3 Million dollar jury verdict in a trial against the Cheney School District in Spokane County Superior Court on behalf of a student who was groomed and s*xually abused by a former school band director. PCVA also obtained an additional award of over $400K in fees and costs against the District.

“Educators at the school district learned about the band director’s abusive acts toward our client but failed to report it to law enforcement as mandatory reporters are required to do,” says Andy. “The school district put our client’s entire life on trial and downplayed the impact that grooming and s*x abuse has on victims."

The jury’s verdict, which is one of the highest verdicts against a school district in Spokane County, is a testament to society’s recognition that s*x abuse can have lasting and lifelong implication on one’s life.” The jury verdict was nearly three times the amount offered by the school district before trial, and six times the amount requested by the school district’s attorney in closing argument at trial.

Get more information about the case in KXLY’s exclusive interview of our client:

'They looked the other way'; Child s*x abuse victim wins suit against Cheney School District CHENEY, Wash. -- A case of a teacher abusing a student in the 1980s cost the Cheney School District millions of dollars, but it cost that student decades of anguish.

Washington State has agreed to pay $3.25 million for a young girl who suffered years of horrific physical and s*xual abuse in what some are calling one the most egregious failures of the state’s child welfare system ever. The settlement follows years of work led by Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC. attorneys Ian Bauer, Darrell L. Cochran, and Michael McNeil.

Lead attorney Ian Bauer says, “the most profound sacred duty of DSHS and Child Protective Services is to step in and intervene and help children when they’re in harm’s way. And in this case, what we saw was a pattern where our client, from almost the time of her birth, was in harm’s way. The Department kept getting told over and over, and over again, nobody’s caring for her. She’s being abused. She’s being neglected. And they never intervene. They never step up and do their most basic job.”

Read more about this case: https://go.pcva.com/4cZbGvK

This month, PCVA Partner and current WSAJ President Colleen Durkin Peterson writes about 'Shared Identities and the Justice System,' in her Presidents Column in WSAJ Trial News. Her column underscores the importance of a continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our daily legal practices, such as cultivating inclusive co-counsel relationships, fostering a diverse workforce, and pursuing equitable access to expert resources.

Her emphasis on diversity isn’t about compliance—it's about creating environments where every client feels valued, safe, and seen. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, we not only strengthen our legal teams but also enhance client collaboration and trust.

Read the article here: https://www.trialnewsonline.org/trialnews/library/item/july_august_2024/4205625/

Trial News - Shared Identities and the Pursuit of Justice At the time of this writing, I recently finished presiding over my last Board of Governor’s meeting for this organization as President. I will save my