Devon's Blog

Washington has enacted new legislation governing actions against insurers in the first-party context.  One common form of first-party insurance is standard property insurance coverage.  The new law, known as the Insurance Fair Conduct Act, has several key features:The IFCA codifies the rule long ...

            In March, the Washington State Supreme Court released an important decision involving a seller’s liability for failure to disclose problems with a home’s septic system on a Form 17.  The Court held that residential buyers have no cause of action against a seller for negligent misrepr...

Due to the Presidents' Day holiday, there will be no update today.  Please check back next week for further posts and information.  Additionally, feel free to browse any previous posts you may have missed for information of interest, including information regarding Washington’s Condominium Act, ...

On February 8, 2007, the Washington State Supreme Court unanimously held that a Lacey ordinance regulating tree removal on “undeveloped” and “partially developed” property did not apply to homeowners removing trees in their backyard.   The Sleasmans live in a 1,967 square foot, single family res...

In general, an owner of property in Washington does not have to register as a contractor when making improvements to that owned property.  However, developers may have to register as a contractor in certain situations.  Here's why. RCW 18.27.020 requires that: “Every contractor shall register wit...

A Division 1 Court of Appeals opinion released last week has determined that a county that promises to procure insurance for its contractor may be liable to the contractor for breach of contract if the county fails to procure that insurance.  However, the contractor must demonstrate that the ins...

This week's update will be posted tomorrow.  There, I will examine a recent (January 22, 2007) Washington State Court of Appeals decision discussing a county's liability to its contractor for failure to procure a builder's risk policy as required by the contract documents in Frank Coluccio Const...

Simsari.com is taking a new look at real estate online, as it offers to nearly complete the entire real estate transaction - including obtaining financing and approval - online. Simsari.com offers purchasers in the Dubai, United Arab Emirates market the opportunity to make large purchases with mi...

In Davis v. Baugh Industrial Contractors, Inc., the Washington State Supreme Court abandoned the doctrine of completion and acceptance, which shields contractors from certain liability for negligent work after that work has been completed and accepted by the property owner.   The case arose when ...

Netled in a small commercial complex at the top of Rose Hill just off 85th, The Ashram Yoga provides its students with much more than a typical hot yoga workout.  This facility was custom-designed by owner Gary Olsen, who has been practicing yoga for most of his life.  Not only does the simple-ye...