News & Insights from Emily Husa

When a family business becomes entangled in a probate or estate dispute, the litigation landscape can look very different from standard commercial litigation. Fiduciary duties to the business, to the estate or trust, and to the beneficiaries can overlap and conflict in ways that are difficult to untangle. Perhaps a loved one has passed away […]

Estate planning is about family. Often, individuals opt to establish a trust to preserve and plan for the benefit of their spouse, children, and generations to come. Trusts are intended to create a plan for the inheritance of assets and avoid conflict among the beneficiaries. In keeping things within the family, individuals often choose to […]

As we elapse the quadricentennial of the 21st century and enter 2026, what is being called the “Great Wealth Transfer” is well underway. The Baby Boomer generation is noted for post-war perseverance, significant contributions to culture and politics like the counterculture movement, and of course: a workforce boom and economic prosperity. As the Baby Boomers […]

Nearly 140 years ago, the United States Supreme Court first recognized that one who causes harm to another should not financially benefit from the estate of the harmed person. In Mutual Life v. Armstrong, the defendant was the beneficiary of an insurance policy. However, the defendant was tried and convicted of killing the policy holder. […]

The enforceability of noncompetition agreements is a widely debated topic in and outside of the legal world. In just the last year, it has been a repeat topic on the floor of the Washington state legislature. States across the county are seeing a trend toward the unenforceability of overly restrictive restraints on employees’ trade. Currently, […]

In part 2 of our discussion of the fact finding process in civil litigation we are going to look at “requests for production”—a form of “discovery” that you should be prepared for as part of a civil lawsuit.  If you missed Part 1 on Interrogatories, a common form of discovery that often accompanies requests for […]

Recently, the Washington Supreme Court held that noncompete agreements for employees earning less than twice the minimum wage must be reasonable and narrowly construed.  The court found that prohibiting employees from providing any kind of assistance to competitors exceeds the statutory duty of loyalty that an employee owes to their employer. RCW 49.62.070 limits a […]

As of June 2024, the legal parameters of Washington noncompetition agreements were refined by the passing of Substitute Senate Bill 5935. The bill, which passed by the Legislature in February and was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee in March, took effect on June 6, 2024. Amending five provisions of RCW 49.62, the new […]