News Archive

A report by CLS and Disability Rights Washington documenting DSHS's inadequate oversight of a Medicaid-funded Supported Living program has grabbed the attention of journalists at The Seattle Times and Q13 News. (more)

A latino resident of Okanogan County filed a civil rights complaint against the Washington State Patrol, asserting that the Patrol uses unqualified, biased Border Patrol agents as interpreters. An earlier complaint from 1982 resulted in a court order prohibiting the practice and an Executive Order in 2000 specifically granted protections to non-English speakers in their dealings with government officials. (more)

A suit filed today by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged that the National Food Corporation, a major supplier of eggs to the Pacific Northwestern and Midwestern United States and East Asia, violated federal law by allowing a supervisor to demand sex from a female employee as the price of keeping her job. (more)

A Seattle ordinance passed this week by a unanimous city council provides new oversight to ensure the quality of rental housing. CLS advocate Merf Ehman worked as a key member of a coalition of housing advocates that includes the Tenants Union of Washington State, the City of Seattle, public health officials, local landlords, and community housing organizations.  (more)

Two families filed a consumer-rights class action lawsuit this week alleging that the owner of their manufactured home park is imposing illegal and fraudulent utilty charges to park residents. The families allege that the owner, Radar Vista LLC, is charging for water and sewer, even though it pays nothing for these services.

For more information about this case, please see our press release.  (more)

In a unanimous decision, the Washington Supreme Court ruled on September 27th in favor of farm workers by holding that Washington’s Farm Labor Contractor Act requires a court to award a minimum of $500 per violation of the law's provisions. The decision, a major victory for the affected workers, concurred with a lower court which ruled last year that a group of over 600 farm workers should be paid nearly $2 million in damages for multiple violations of the Contractor Act. (more)

From the story in the Tri-Cities Herald:

 "The continued growth in student homelessness indicates the need for more community awareness and more resources to combat it, said Katara Jordan, an attorney with Columbia Legal Services, a poverty advocacy group. CLS recently released an analysis of the state's data on student homelessness."

Read the full story from the Tri-Cities Herald: (more)

On July 25, 2012, ten farm workers filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court claiming retaliation for being fired days after a state agency investigated a complaint of gun shots at the Sunnyside orchard where they were working.  (more)

A new study by SchoolHouse Washington and Columbia Legal Services adds a new dimension to the findings released by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) earlier this year.  In the 2010-2011 school year, more than 26,000 students experienced homelessness. Homeless students were identified in every county and in both rural and urban districts. The study details the statistics, county by county. (more)

Each of our project groups produces a newsletter a few times a year that highlights some of our work. You can read and download the newsletters using these links: (more)