In another major win for their client, the legal team for Anna Danieli has successfully argued that Bellevue’s agreement with King County left them vicariously liable.

TACOMA, WASHINGTON

Marking another crucial moment in Anna Danieli’s case against King County, the Honorable Timothy Ashcraft of Pierce County Superior Court has ruled that the City of Bellevue can remain liable for allegedly unlawful action taken against Ms. Danieli by King County.

In an attempt to remove itself from the case, representatives for the City of Bellevue argued to the court that King County had been responsible for the government action in question, while the City of Bellevue had only been involved tangentially. This was because, in 2016, the City of Bellevue entered into an Interlocal Agreement with King County for Animal Control Cases, granting King County authority for all animal control services in Bellevue. Despite the fact that this agreement was found to be flawed, voiding many of the citations and fines that were issued to Danieli for her cat, Miska, the City of Bellevue still argued that this agreement cleared them of any liability for Danieli’s allegations.

In another big win for their client, the legal team for Anna Danieli has successfully argued that Bellevue’s agreement with King County left the City of Bellevue in the position of having to be vicariously liable for King County’s actions.

This order is particularly significant during this current stage of the case, because it prevents the City of Bellevue from exiting the case before crucial [trial preparation/mediation efforts]. Danieli and her team are confident that this decision will help achieve a positive outcome in this case. “This decision communicates to the City of Bellevue and King County that this case isn’t just going away,” Attorney Jeffrey Possinger asserts. “Ms. Danieli suffered under the actions of her government defendants, and we are confident that this decision from the court will encourage them to take this case and our client seriously.”

Danieli’s case is approaching several crucial deadlines, including a potential trial. Further developments can be found at @possinger_law_group on Instagram, and MiskaTheCat.com.

We invite you to stay up-to-date with future case developments by following our firm’s related social media channels (@possinger_law_group on Instagram, and miskathecat.com).