Public Welcome as Court of Appeals, Div. III Hears Cases at East Valley High School in Yakima April 22

Public Welcome as Court of Appeals, Div. III Hears Cases at East Valley High School in Yakima April 22

April 15, 2025

The Washington State Court of Appeals, Division III, will hear oral arguments outside of its regular Spokane courtroom during a community visit to East Valley High School in Yakima on Tuesday April 22, 2025.

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 1900 Beaudry Road, Yakima.

"The judges and I are looking forward to our visit to East Valley High School later this month. Holding oral arguments in a public school is a great way to give students an upfront view of the appellate process in action," said Division III Chief Judge Robert Lawrence-Berrey. "Also, the Q&A sessions give students the chance to ask judges and lawyers about what we do and will give students insight into the critical role lawyers play in protecting all of our rights. Without lawyers and an independent judiciary, the Constitution would be just a piece of paper."

Beginning at 9 a.m., Presiding Chief Judge Robert E. Lawrence-Berrey, Judge George Fearing, and Judge Megan Murphy will hear arguments in the following case:

• 403629 - Neydin Gaspar v. The Last Resort Operations, LLC - Whether the trial court erred in dismissing a wrongful death suit against a jet ski rental company, finding the man who drowned assumed the risk riding the jet ski during windy conditions.
• 402118 - Winston Durham v. Washington State University - Whether Washington State University had jurisdiction over a student's off-campus conduct with respect to enforcing its Standards of Conduct.
• 402126 - Public Utility District No. 1 Chelan County vs. Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County - Whether summary judgment was proper in a contract dispute between PUD No. 2 of Grant County and PUD No. 1 of Chelan County involving hydropower.

Live TVW coverage can be viewed at: Division 3 Court of Appeals - TVW. Web access to public documents for Criminal and Civil cases can be found at Washington State Courts - Appellate and Trial Courts. Each argument will last approximately 30 minutes. To allow for questions and answers, judges will have a 30-minute break between the second and third cases, and after the final case.

The Court of Appeals (COA), Division III is headquartered in Spokane 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, resuming community-based oral arguments in October 2022 after a pause during the COVID pandemic. The Courts has since heard oral arguments in seven high schools throughout eastern Washington.

In September 2023, COA Division III was the recipient of the Judge William Nevins Award for promoting community outreach and civic education based on outreach to area high schools.

For further information regarding the Court, visit the Washington Courts website at Washington State Courts - Appellate and Trial Courts.

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

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