Sweetser Law Office

"This incident is now a marker in time for this child's entire life going forward, the day that everything changed. And so, what that tells me is these concerns were extremely significant and ongoing for these families."

Sweetser says he's concerned about how long it took for the school to notify parents about the video, and say's he's equally concerned that Mead's principal didn't view the video until two and a half months after she received it.

"We have a school district that has multiple incidences, involving multiple students, of sexual assault," he explained. "And the evidence, as far as we've been able to look at it so far, leads us to believe that the Mead School District staff was aware of it very quickly, actually had conversations within the school internally about the incidents, but for reasons only known to them, decided not to inform the parents of what they had learned."

Mead High School football players accused of assaulting teammates at summer camp | KREM 2 Investigation Police records show the assault happened last June but wasn't reported until February. Now, KREM 2 has uncovered records showing at least 2 students were assaulted.

📚 The Spokane Indians Reading Challenge returns for 2024 thanks to the generous support of Sweetser Law Office! We kicked off on Friday at Hallett Elementary and will head to Orchard Center Elementary in March. Special thanks to our supporting sponsor nomnom.

Sweetser Law Office says "Stay Strong", we as a community need to come together and support each other through this difficult time and know that there is hope for a better, stronger tomorrow!

The Gray Rd. and Oregon Rd. fires have already destroyed more than 20,000 acres and continue to burn.

Gray Rd. Fire Facts:

Location: Medical Lake, Wash.
Approximate size: 10,014 acres
Containment: 58%
Cause: Under investigation
Fatalities: 1
Structures destroyed: 259 (estimated)

Oregon Rd. Fire Facts:

Location: Elk, Wash.
Approximate size: 11,021 acres
Containment: 11%
Crews fighting the fire: 975
Cause: Under investigation
Fatalities: 1
Structures destroyed: 80+ (estimated)

Below are resources for those in need. Please share and make a donation or Both!

Two Red Cross shelters are currently open at the following locations:

Spokane Falls Community College
3410 W Whistalks Way Spokane, WA

Riverside High School
4120 E Deer Park Milan Road Chattaroy, WA

To find a shelter near you call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or download the free Red Cross Emergency app by texting “GETEMERGENCY” to 90999.

If people want to help or volunteer they can go to redcross.org/volunteertoday and look for available shifts in the area.

HOW TO HELP You can help people affected by disasters like fires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767), or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. http://www.redcross.org/northwest

Link to FAQ’s Destroyed Property Assessed Value and Tax Relief Frequently Asked Questions :
https://propertytax.dor.wa.gov/Documents/ToolsAndResources/Destroyed%20PropertyFAQ.pdf

Go to the below website for a complete list for Spokane County, State and Federal, resources.

https://www.spokanecounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4590

Happy 4th of July!
Enjoy and be safe!

Henry's lawsuit has moved from Spokane Superior Court to federal court. Now, her attorneys want the case in front of the state supreme court.

Former Spokane health employee looks to take wrongful termination lawsuit to the state Supreme Court Erika Henry's lawsuit has moved from Spokane Superior Court to federal court. Now, her attorneys want the case in front of the state Supreme Court.

"Our state government derives its power from the people, not the other way around," Sweetser says. "At the core this is about our state government respecting our state constitution."

Spokane Indians and Sweetser Law Team Up to Make Reading Fun for Local Students Spokane, Wash. \- Sweetser Law Office, Communities in Schools, and local Title 1 elementary schools teamed up to promote literacy in the Inland Northwest as part of the Spokane Indians Reading Challenge. This year’s participating schools, Broadway Elementary and McDonald Elementary, received a vis...

We are so proud to support the Spokane Indians Reading Challenge, and to see all the smiling faces at McDonald Elementary this afternoon!

The Spokane Indians Reading Challenge is back thanks to the generous support of Sweetser Law Office (sweetserlawoffice.com)! We kicked off today at McDonald Elementary with a fun-filled assembly and will head to Broadway Elementary next Tuesday. As participating students read, they can win prizes throughout the program and even a pair of tickets to an Indians game this summer. Special thanks to our supporting sponsors Mallory Paint Store and nomnom.

📚 milb.com/spokane/community/reading-program

Gonzaga Law is closed today, January 16th in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Congratulations to the 2023 Sweetser Closing Argument Scholarship Recipients! Well deserved!! Gonzaga University School of Law

Numerica Skate Ribbon in Riverfront Park opens Saturday with slightly higher admission prices The attraction, the first to reopen as part of the downtown park's taxpayer-funded renovation, will have the same operating hours as in seasons past. The Spokane Park Board did increase the admission fees this year, a reflection of the cost of maintaining the ribbon that opened in December 2017 and....

A reminder from your friendly local law office, to please VOTE, if you haven’t done so.
Ballots need to be turned in by Tonight at 8pm.
Your voice makes a difference! Please take the time to vote!

Today is Game 1 of the wild-card series between the Mariners and the Blue Jays !

Mariners fans across the Pacific Northwest have waited a long time for this day! The first Seattle Mariners playoff game since 2001!

Labor Day is a celebration of the skill, dedication and ingenuity of the American worker. It is recognition that labor uplifts humanity, has dignity and importance, and is undertaken with painstaking excellence.

It’s also a time in the Pacific Northwest for one last hurrah before saying farewell to another summer. We wish all of our clients, friends and families a fun, safe and Happy Labor Day!!

"Free speech is not about what is said, but the right to say it," Marcus Sweetser said in a statement. "The most dangerous thing is when good people are made to fear dissenting; when public servants are forced to stand by and say nothing."

SWEETSER LAW OFFICE - As citizens of Washington State and the United States of America we all have the right to free speech. If freedom of speech means anything at all, it means the right to contact the elected officials that represent you.

Former WSDOH employee files lawsuit against department, secretary of health The lawsuit filed by former DOH employee Erika Henry centers around an e-mail she sent as a private citizen in light of the controversial firing of Dr. Bob Lutz.

Thirty students competed for cash prizes in our 5th Annual Sweetser Closing Argument Competition this October! As a part of the challenge, students receive a fact pattern based on tort law, a set of jury instructions, and one hour to prepare a persuasive closing argument no longer than 15 minutes. A huge congratulations to this year's winners:
1st- Emily Martin, 2L
2nd- Hannah Daniels, 2L
3rd- Elizabeth Philips, 1L

Thank you to the Sweetser Law Office for their endowed support as well as to our volunteer judges!

"When students enter Spokane Public Schools, they need to be given a shot and an opportunity," said Marcus Sweetser.

After this case, SPS entered into a public Consent Decree as part of a settlement with clients of Sweetser Law Office. The Consent Decree requires the school district to reform their isolation practices.

In July, SPS committed to ending isolation, focusing instead on behavioral intervention techniques consistent with current peer-reviewed research.

Spokane Public Schools pays $150k to family of first-grader held in isolation room for nearly 5 hours By the time the last bell rang at Ridgeview Elementary in September 2018, a 6-year-old child had been locked in the so-called "safe room" for...

"Spokane Public Schools agrees to changes in settlement over kindergartner illegally placed in isolation," reports the Inlander.

"Starting this fall, there will be no more isolation rooms at all in Spokane Public Schools," said Spokane Public School director of special education.

Read the full story: https://issuu.com/theinlander/docs/inlander_07-15-2021/14

The Spokane Public School District has entered into a Consent Decree as part of a settlement with clients of Sweetser Law Office.

The Consent Decree requires the District to reform their isolation practices, comply with state and federal law, and align their practices with practices supported by behavioral assessment research.

Isolation rooms have been used more frequently in Spokane Public Schools than anywhere else in the State. Overuse and underreporting of isolation has been a common practice in an alarming number Spokane elementary schools:

• The isolation spaces have various names, including “the cooler,” “the teddy bear room,” and “the safety room.”

• Shut inside for hours, children as young as five- and six-years-old often cry for their parents, scream in anger, and beg to be let out. They scratch at windows, tear at padded walls, and kick or throw their bodies against locked doors. Sometimes children are secluded for so long – four to five hours at a time – they vomit or wet their pants.

• Many of the students confined to these spaces are young children with special needs. They are the kids least likely to comprehend why it is happening.

Schools are supposed to be safe places. When children leave the safety of their homes for the first time to enter the public school system, they have rights protected under the law.

Washington State’s Legislature has declared isolation practices have “no educational or therapeutic benefit” and “pose significant physical and psychological danger to students and school staff.” Under Washington State law, isolation is only warranted under a specific set of circumstances “when a student’s behavior poses an imminent likelihood of serious harm,” and “isolation must be discontinued as soon as the likelihood of serious harm has dissipated.” RCW 28A.600.485; WAC 392-172A-02110.

Isolated confinement to a padded box is not a substitute for a proper assessment, evaluation, and intervention plan.

With entry of the Consent Decree, all principals and administrators within Spokane Public Schools are on notice that overuse and underreporting of isolation will no longer be tolerated.

A consent decree, obtained by clients of Sweetser Law Office, requires Spokane Public Schools to reform their isolation practices, comply with state and federal law, and align their practices with practices supported by behavioral assessment research.

Protecting Kids from Isolated Confinement in Elementary Schools > Marcus Sweetser Attorney Consent Decree Requires School District to Reform Isolation Room Practices

Congratulations to 2L Carly Roberts for winning 1st place at the 4th Annual Sweetser Closing Argument Competition!

An excellent opportunity for our students to hone their oral advocacy skills, this competition challenges competitors to deliver a maximum 15-minute persuasive closing argument after only one hour of prep time.

2nd and 3rd places were claimed by 1Ls Hannah Daniels and Emily Martin, respectively. Great job to all the competitors!

Special thanks to the Sweetser Law Office for once again presenting this practical experience for our students.

Some Zoom appearances go more smoothly than others 😆

Zoom Filter Fail - Judge notifies lawyer he's using cat filter. Hilarious. A lawyer using Zoom had to let a judge know that he wasn’t a cat after inadvertently activating a face filter

"A trial lawyer with fake confidence can know all the laws of the land and will still be sniffed out by a jury of twelve. One of the beauties of the civil jury system is: you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time." - Marcus Sweetser

The Things We Carry To be authentic and real in a courtroom can be frightening, but it’s the only way to real justice.