Seattle Police Department Loses Lawsuit Regarding Domestic Violence Advice

The Seattle Police Department has settled a lawsuit with the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for $32,000. The lawsuit involved a public disclosure issues regarding domestic violence legal advice in which police were accused of withholding information about how they handle domestic violence cases with Washington domestic violence defense lawyers.

The major piece of evidence in the case was a Seattle Police Department policy manual that told victims' advocates not to record certain facts that could aid defendants, such as whether the domestic violence victim was intoxicated, whether the victim refused services, or whether the victim minimized the situation. According to the defense lawyers who found the document, the police were asking others to bury relevant evidence.

The Seattle Police Department stated that the settlement was not an admission of guilt, but rather a means to end the legal dispute. However, the police stated that they will be rewriting sections of the policy manual.