Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Public welcome as Court of Appeals, Div. III hears cases at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane March 8 

The Washington State Court of Appeals, Division III, will hear oral arguments outside of its regular Spokane courtroom during a community visit to Gonzaga Preparatory School on Friday, March 8, 2024. The public is welcome to attend the oral arguments and ask questions about the role and operations of the Court of Appeals during the Q&A break and at the end of the session.

The hearings will begin at 9 a.m. in the school auditorium located at 1224 E. Euclid Ave, Spokane, WA.

Division III Chief Judge George Fearing commented: “We are delighted to return, after suspension during COVID, to entertaining appellate oral arguments at schools throughout eastern Washington.  We wish for students to experience and learn about the court process and to witness lawyers’ advocacy.  The Gonzaga Preparatory School staff has welcomed us, and we look forward to interacting with students.”

Beginning at 9 a.m., Chief Judge George Fearing, Judge Tracy Staab, and Judge John Cooney will hear arguments in the following case:

• 388212 – State of Washington v. Brent J. Brant   9:00 a.m.
  Issue Statement: Did the defendant’s conduct justify forfeiture of his constitutional right to counsel? 
  TVW Link
   
• 395251 – Royal Coachman Homeowners Cooperative v. Shannon Hunter Burns, et al.  9:30 a.m.
  Issue Statement:  Did the trial court err when it ordered the defendants’ eviction from the plaintiff’s mobile home park?
  TVW Link
   
• 395715 – Sarah Nunley, et al. v. Chelan-Douglas Health District  10:30 a.m.
  Issue Statement: To what extent did the defendant owe the plaintiffs a duty of care to protect the plaintiffs’ personal information from theft by third parties? 
  TVW Link
   
• 396762 – Tory Gomsrud, et al. v. Daniel R. Campeau, et al.  11:00 a.m.
  Issue Statement: Did the trial court properly dismiss the plaintiff’s claims for conversion, malicious injury to pet, and reckless or intentional infliction of emotional distress? 
  TVW Link

Web access to public documents on the above cases can be found at the Appellate Court Public Document Portal. Each argument will last approximately 30 minutes. To allow for questions and answers, we will have a 30-minute break between the 2nd and 3rd case and after the last case.

The Court of Appeals, Division III is headquartered in Spokane, WA and hears appeals of case outcomes from trial courts throughout the Eastern Washington counties of Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima.

The Court occasionally hears oral arguments in various eastern Washington cities outside of its Spokane Headquarters. After resuming community-based oral arguments in October 2022, the Court has visited and heard oral arguments in five high schools throughout eastern Washington.

In September 2023, the Court was the recipient of the Nevin Award for promoting community outreach and civic education based on outreach to area high schools. Further information regarding the Court, visit the Washington Courts website.

Contact: Court of Appeals, Div. III Clerk Tristen Worthen, (509) 456-3082, Tristen.worthen@courts.wa.gov.