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<DIV>I agree with Tom.</DIV>
<DIV>There was a statewide AOC, I think, survey taken of judges last summer, but
since that happened, I haven’t seen anything about a rule change being
proposed/considered and/or a comment period. Has anyone else?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Joshua F.
Grant, PS<BR>Attorney at Law<BR>P. O. Box 619<BR>Wilbur, WA 99185<BR>tel 509 647
5578<BR>fax 509 647 2734<BR></DIV>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=thomas.henry.white@gmail.com
href="mailto:thomas.henry.white@gmail.com">Tom White</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, May 24, 2016 5:03 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com
href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [WSBAPT] Harmful nonprofit governance
opinion</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr>Practically, you should be able to cite to unpublished opinions
because (1) there is a relative dearth of case law in Washington compared to
other jurisdictions whose well-established legal systems make them ideal for the
transaction of business and choice-of-law selections; (2) it promotes the
interests of justice and uniformity in decision-making through the development
of case law along common law principles; (3) it reduces unnecessary duplication
of judicial effort, because somebody has already figured out how the law should
apply to similar facts; and (4) it will not have a negative impact on the
administration of justice. <BR><BR>Nobody is ever going to cite to an
unpublished opinion if there is a published one available, and the unpublished
opinions will not have nearly the same weight as a published opinion from
Washington state. <BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_extra>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 11:37 AM, Rob Wilson-Hoss <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:rob@hctc.com"
target=_blank>rob@hctc.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: windowtext">I think we
need to be careful about supporting the citation of unpublished decisions. I
think they are often unpublished for a reason, and it may just be me, but I
sense a difference in the amount of analysis and work that goes into a
published decision. I am trying to be polite here. <U></U><U></U></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: windowtext"><U></U><U></U></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: windowtext">Rob
Wilson-Hoss<U></U><U></U></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"; COLOR: #1f497d'><U></U><U></U></SPAN> </P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; COLOR: windowtext'>From:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; COLOR: windowtext'>
<A href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com"
target=_blank>wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</A> [mailto:<A
href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com"
target=_blank>wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</A>] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Josh
Grant<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, May 23, 2016 10:17 AM<BR><B>To:</B> WSBA Probate
& Trust Listserv<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [WSBAPT] Harmful nonprofit
governance opinion<U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=h5>
<P class=MsoNormal><U></U><U></U> </P>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style='FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"'>I would
love some info on the suggestion that the <U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">Our state supreme court appears
close to adopting a rule that will permit citation to "unpublished" opinions
such as this one.</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style='FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"'>This
silly rule needs to be scrapped.</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style='FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"'>I didn’t
think the suggestion was even a pending rule change open for
comment.??</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"'>Josh</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'> <A
title=schafer@pobox.com href="mailto:schafer@pobox.com" target=_blank>Doug
Schafer</A> <U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Sent:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Monday, May 23,
2016 8:11 AM<U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'>To:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'> <A
title=solo-and-small-practice-section@list.wsba.org
href="mailto:solo-and-small-practice-section@list.wsba.org" target=_blank>Solo
& Small Firm WSBA Listserv</A> ; <A title=wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com
href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com" target=_blank>WSBA RPPT Probate &
Trust Discussion Forum</A> <U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Subject:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'> [WSBAPT] Harmful
nonprofit governance opinion<U></U><U></U></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN> </P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>Please carefully read the attached WA Court of Appeals,
Div. I, opinion. Though "unpublished," it provides a template for hostile
dissidents to takeover a membership-based nonprofit corporation by secretly
collecting member applications and dues, then, on the day that the dissidents
deposit the dues (without authority) in the corporate bank account, sending a
10-day notice for a membership meeting . At that meeting, the "new members"
remove the incumbent directors. The corporate directors and officers
were unaware of the "new members" until the meeting occurred. Our state
supreme court appears close to adopting a rule that will permit citation to
"unpublished" opinions such as this one.<BR><BR>My fear is that this case will
be used disrupt the governance of too many nonprofit corporations.<BR><BR>The
Court of Appeals declined to apply the well-established doctrine that courts
refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of such associations and
defer to the association's own interpretation of its rules unless that
interpretation is arbitrary or unreasonable, by asserting that such doctrine
applied only to local chapters of national organizations. Case law is
otherwise, however.<BR><BR>When I read this opinion, I emailed one of the
lawyers for the losing parties and urged them to petition for state supreme
court review. I hear nothing back until last Thurday, when Ms. Matthews
phoned me. I spoke Friday with her and her NYC lawyer husband, Mr.
Nelson, who reported that the COA denied their motion for reconsideration on
May 2, so the deadline for a petition for review is June 2. They are,
however, "tapped out" and I sense some despair.<BR><BR>I'm within minutes of
departing on a family trip this week, so I'm not available to assist.<BR><BR>I
write in the hope that other lawyers interested in maintaining strong
nonprofit corporations will consider helping Ms. Matthews and Mr. Happy to
petition for review. That will allow time for them to negotiate with the
prevailing group, and possible reach a settlement whereby they might ask
Division I to withdraw its opinion. I've seen that is another
case.<BR><BR>Nelson Happy: <A href="mailto:jnelsonhappy@gmail.com"
target=_blank>jnelsonhappy@gmail.com</A><BR>Mary Matthews: <A
href="mailto:matthewshistpres@gmail.com"
target=_blank>matthewshistpres@gmail.com</A><BR><BR>Doug Schafer, lawyer in
Tacoma.<SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"'><U></U><U></U></SPAN></P>
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clear=all><BR>-- <BR>
<DIV class=gmail_signature>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV><BR>Tom White<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Attorney-At-Law<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Seattle, Washington<BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<P>
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