Becoming the victim of a crime is a frightening and frustrating experience. Many people feel stressed and disempowered by criminal victimization, wondering why it happened to them. It can be downright enraging to find out that the person who attacked you, stole your...

As readers of our blog know, we advocate strongly for victims injured during violent crimes. Our experience in this area of the law ensures that we understand what crime victims are going through. For example, we know that victims must deal with their physical...

You sometimes see stories about individuals who have been injured or even killed in a so-called “robbery gone wrong.” This may seem like a strange term since the idea of having your home or business robbed at all seems very wrong. What does the term denote? ...

Numerous federal laws help protect those accused of crimes from unfair persecution and prosecution. Among those rights is freedom from double jeopardy or repeated prosecution for the same event.  The thought process behind this concept is that those accused of a...

Midway through 2020, the nation was in the throes of racially motivated chaos. In Seattle at that time, the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) was in full swing. A man was shot and killed during these protests in the Seattle CHOP zone, but his shooter was only...

An assault, armed robbery or similar violent offense can cause many negative consequences for the victim. There may be medical costs if someone needs treatment afterward, as well as the cost to repair or replace property damaged or stolen during the crime. In addition...

If you’ve been harmed or a loved one killed by an act of violence or other criminal action, you want to see the person responsible punished by the criminal justice system. However, that system doesn’t always provide the justice victims are seeking.  Victims and their...

Like other states, Washington allows criminal courts to order defendants to compensate the victims of their crimes. The court can require the defendant to pay restitution for damages the defendant caused. A victim or the family may be able to recover some of their...

Last month, a woman in our neighboring state of Oregon was accosted and attacked outside of the Washington Square Mall in Tigard. As she was making her way to her vehicle shortly after 6 p.m., an unknown male lunged at her and pressed her into a parked vehicle and...

In addition to the offender, other parties may be legally responsible for harm to the approximately 19 million Americans crime victims in this country each year. Schools, hotels, governments and other entities and individuals may be liable in crime victim litigation...