Around The Firm

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Michelle A. Corsi won dismissal of a Washington State Bar Association grievance filed against her lawyer client. The complainant, Gerard, previously had sued his attorney, Shattuck, for legal malpractice. After the trial court dismissed that case on summary judgment, and the Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal, Gerard then pursued his grievance against Shattuck through the Bar Association, which had stayed the grievance proceeding while the lawsuit was pending. The Bar Association found no evidence that Shattuck had violated any Rules of Professional Conduct during his representation of Gerard and noted that the court did not find any impropriety in the malpractice action. As a result, the Bar Association dismissed the grievance. … Michelle Corsi also won summary judgment on the remaining claim against her client in Cook v. Apple Park Apartments, a personal-injury case brought by a tenant against her landlord for mold exposure. Michelle previously had won partial summary judgment of dismissal of plaintiff’s claims under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. Michelle then moved for dismissal of plaintiff’s claim under the lease. The court agreed and dismissed the action.

Jeffrey P. Downer and Carrie Bixel recently won summary judgment in Jackowski v. Borchelt, a real-estate malpractice case. Plaintiffs bought a house on a waterfront hillside near Shelton. A year after their purchase, the land slid, and the house suffered major damage. Plaintiffs alleged negligence against Jeff and Carrie’s client, the real estate agent who represented them, for failing to refer them to a geotechnical expert prior to the sale. The court agreed with the defense that under the economic-loss rule, the law precluded any award against Jeff and Carrie’s client on a negligence theory. … Jeff Downer also recently won summary judgment in two other actions against real estate professionals, Bridgen v. York and Crumley v. Reid Real Estate.