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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> Division III with both barrels ablaze especially the concurrence thrown in for good measure.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText">Feb. 17, 2022 - 37448-3 - Dalton M, LLC v. North Cascade Trustee Services, Inc., et al </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><a href="https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/?fa=opinions.disp&filename=374483MAJ">https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/?fa=opinions.disp&filename=374483MAJ</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“We must reverse the superior court’s judgment in favor of Dalton M on the slander of title claim because the bank’s darkening of the land title did not interfere in any pending sale by Dalton M. We still affirm an attorney fees award, however, because of the equitable exception to the American rule that generally denies an award of attorney fees to the prevailing party. In a case of first impression, we hold that fees can be awarded for the prelitigation bad faith of a party that entails a refusal to honor a valid claim, thereby forcing the plaintiff to file suit to rectify a problem.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“More pressing problems plague the American judicial system. Still, the “too big to care” phenomenon troubles the judicial system by leading to lawsuits when the rare customer has the stamina and resources to right a wrong. Courts can play a role in limiting this bane by imposing fees and costs of litigation on the “too big to care” company when it fails to timely and fairly resolve a legitimate claim.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Robert R. Rowley</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Attorney & Counselor At Law</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">p: 509.252.5074 m: 509.994.1143</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">f: 509.928.3084</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">a: 7 S Howard St, Ste 218, Spokane, WA 99201</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">w: <a href="http://rowleylegal.com">rowleylegal.com</a> e: <a href="mailto:rob@rowleylegal.com"><span style="color:blue">rob@rowleylegal.com</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Google Review: <a href="https://g.page/r/CTxNMUIBtg1SEAg/review"><span style="color:blue">https://g.page/r/CTxNMUIBtg1SEAg/review</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> Practice concentrated on business, real estate and general legal matters in Washington and Idaho. NOTICE: The contents of this message and any attachments may be protected by the attorney-client privilege, work product doctrine or other applicable protections. If you are not the intended recipient or have received this message in error, please notify the sender and promptly delete the message. Thank you for your assistance. DISCLAIMER: You should recognize that responses provided by e-mail means are akin to ordinary telephone or face-to-face conversations and do not reflect the level of factual or legal inquiry or analysis which would be applied in the case of a formal legal opinion. A formal opinion may very well reach a different conclusion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p></div></body></html>