Tag Archives: lawsuit

Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, Local

Nick Rolovich, Former WSU Coach, Files Wrongful Termination Suit

Five Fast Facts

  • Rolocich applied for a religious exemption, but it was denied; WSU said at the time that they could not make appropriate accommodations for the head coach because the job required in-person interaction with hundreds of people a week
  • The former coach appealed his firing, first to the athletic director and then to the University President; both appeals failed to convince the school to reverse the firing.
  • For all state employees, even if a religious exemption was approved, the final decision rests with the supervisor and revolves around the ability to make appropriate accommodations for the employee’s unvaccinated status—accomodations that would require limited in-person interactions with other people
  • Rolovich has not publicly shared what his exact religious opposition to vaccination is and has publicly announced that he is not against vaccination in general or the choices others make to receive the vaccine

PULLMAN, WA—The former Washington State University (WSU) head football coach has followed up on his plans to sue the state of Washington by filing a tort suit against the state.

Rolovich was fired from WSU in October 2021 after he said he would not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Rolovich applied for a religious exemption from Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandate requiring all state employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19. His religious exemption was denied by WSU. They said that they could not make appropriate accommodations for Rolovich if he was unvaccinated.

For further reading, visit King 5.

BIPOC, Breaking News, Five Facts, Local

Family of 16-year-old shooting victim ready to sue City of Seattle

Five Fast Facts

  • Antonio Mays Jr. was shot and killed in the early morning hours of June 29, 2020
  • Mays Jr. had traveled to Seattle to be part of the new civil rights movement
  • The shooting occurred near the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone
  • The family claims the City of Seattle abandoned CHOP, failing to provide basic services, and that the lack of oversight ultimately led to the death
  • First responders cannot enter the scene of a violent crime without it first being secured by SPD, who claimed they were unable to do so due to the protests; Mays Jr. was transported to Harborview Medical Center by private vehicle from the scene

SEATTLE, Wash. – It’s been more than two years since Antonio Mays Jr. was shot and killed in Seattle. 

His father, who lives in southern California, says he waited to get answers for months. Now he’s fed up with a lack of information and accountability for his son’s death. Which led to a tort claim – essentially an early warning of a pending lawsuit – being filed against the City of Seattle…

You can read more at Q13Fox

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: March 1, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from March 1, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • White Nationalist hatred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
  • Update on the Seattle Police shooting of a suicidal man
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expecting their second child
    • Amazon sued for racial discrimination against Black and Latinx employees
    • Deb Haaland confirmation turns contentious
    • Woman arrested when Cheetos dust gives away her crime
    • Largest Protestant adoption agency in nation now open to LGBTQ parents
    • Texas AG sues utility companies over sky-high electric bills
    • Florida man makes wedding proposal using stolen wedding ring
    • Teen collects 30,000 pairs of shoes to donate to the unhomed
    • New York Governor Cuomo sexual harassment scandal
    • Mormon church reaffirms support for LGBTQ equality and religious freedom legislation
  • $15 minimum wage dies in the Senate, and the reasons are complicated
  • COVID-19 Fast Five Update
    • COVID cases are increasing just as the United States is letting its guard down
    • Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine receives emergency approval by the FDA
    • Seattle to open mass vaccination site at Lumen Field (formerly Century Link Field)
    • Black community lagging behind in vaccination in all but 5 states
    • A year later, Washington state is approaching 5,000 COVID deaths
  • Women History Month

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local

Superior Court Judge Ramsmeyer upholds protesters’ claims of discrimination

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Superior Court Judge Judith H. Ramseyer rejected the City of Seattle’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit for wrongful death, personal injuries, and civil rights violations. Attorneys from Stritmatter, Kessler, Koehler, and Moore, and co-counsel Cedar Law PLLC filed the suit last fall on behalf of more than 60 plaintiffs who participated in Black Lives Matter protests. The plaintiffs, including the survivors of Summer Taylor, claim that policing decisions were based on discriminatory practices and negligence causing injuries and death.

In court today, lawyers representing the city argued that the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) is only applicable for employer-employee law. Lawyers representing the city stated that applying WLAD to this case would be a “radical departure of the law” and represented a new legal theory. “We’ve seen the difference between how the police have handled other protests such as the women’s march and blue lives matters protests versus those for Black lives,” said attorney Sarah Lippek of Cedar Law, PLLC. “We think the differences in treatment are discriminatory.”

The city’s argument was, in part, that since protesters are not city employees, the protesters were not protected by WLAD even if the city behaved in a discriminatory way. Karen Koehler argued that protesters of all races advocating on behalf of Black lives and then brutalized by police due to their advocacy should be covered under the non-discrimination law.

Judge Ramseyer sided with the plaintiffs and upheld the claim that authorities’ actions over the summer could be considered discriminatory under WLAD. “The judge upheld our cause of action that protesters of all races advocating for Black lives could bring discrimination claims against the police for their brutal and disproportionate response,” said attorney Lara Hruska.

Another finding in today’s case is that the streets are “places of public accommodation” protected under WLAD. In 2019 the Washington State Supreme Court found that places of public accommodation are broadly defined as facilities or businesses used by or open to the public. Judge Ramseyer’s decision expands that protection. “The court decided that the streets are an area of public accommodation, and the police can’t discriminate against protesters on those streets,” said Lippek. “I mean, what is more public than the streets?”

DISCLOSURE: Renee Raketty, field editor for Malcontent News is a plaintiff in this case.