<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">I'm with Annie - <i>however, </i>reading a case on this topic from PA (see below), I think the court raised good points that offset what I thought a logical approach to "well sure it might matter/be a material issue to disclose".</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">One thought in all this: I do think you face a significant risk, especially if a violent death, of serious harm by way of the risk of litigation. The question is not always about whether you're legally in the right. No one wants to have to be the one to go through the hell of litigation & cost & risk to forge new law on a novel issue. As I tell my clients, an "interesting question" is not a good thing for them. I think that heavily weighs in favor of disclosure. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">Remembering, too, that there is a trend to allowing "tort" damages in WA's classically buyer-friendly law, which in a situation like this might well blow out damages to emotional distress etc. - an ugly situation to find yourself in when you could have simply disclosed and avoided the whole mess. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">So (1) you could very well be facing litigation if you don't, and (2) either put out a ton of money to risk it all, or settle for some potentially large amount of money, thus really lose either way even if you are in the legal right. So in advising a client, my advice on what to do isn't going to be driven so much by whether they'd win in court (which is a huge if to begin with) as whether it's worth the risk.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">Especially in this market - someone will want to buy it for full value & won't care, why take the chance.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">Legally - the PA case (<a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/supreme-court/2014/48-map-2013.html" target="_blank">https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/supreme-court/2014/48-map-2013.html</a>) raised the good point that it would be a very difficult precedent as every person defines "psychological stigma" differently. What if it wasn't a murder, but a murderer lived there? a child abused? etc.<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">I think WA heavily favors buyers - but I think (1) the fact some states require it but not all, with no legal cases anyone seems to have found saying it should be disclosed, weighs in favor of most courts considering it to fall in the legislative realm if they want to go beyond physical defects and (2) the PA reasoning is persuasive, coupled with (3) the type of technical analysis Eric offers. While Annie's analysis is excellent, I do think the courts' emphasis is on physical defects. Look at the rejection of disclosure of an annoying neighbor, "bad neighborhood", etc., which as I recall most if not all here that voiced an opinion agreeing that these were not subjects of disclosure.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">But ... see above about risk, either way.</div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">My curiosity peaked, I did a little looking on how people viewed this topic. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif">This was an interesting source I had NO idea was out there (though not surprised) - "<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">You can also visit </span><a href="https://www.diedinhouse.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration-line:none;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,119,204)" target="_blank">Diedinhouse.com</a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">, a site that searches through millions of records to determine whether a death has occurred at the address you enter."</span><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="trebuchet ms,sans-serif" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">Carmen Rowe<i><br><div><br></div><div><img width="200" height="71" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4yaIwO8NwDh1yJGQWP1qK1vhwcBcK5yYclhzfMrEc3GuEfI5eiJ-wA30feUaQTq_2U2bQPszU4"><br></div></i></font></div><div><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><br></font></div></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font color="#660000" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"></font></div><div><font color="#660000" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Phone: (360) 669-3576 (direct cell)<br></font></div><div><font color="#660000" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">Email: Carmen@GryphonLawGroup.com<br><br></font><span><font color="#660000" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b>Olympia/Lacey and primary mailing office:</b></font></span></div><div><span><font color="#660000" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">1415 College Street SE, Lacey, WA 98503<br></font></span></div><div><b style="color:rgb(102,0,0);font-family:"Trebuchet MS""><br></b></div><div><b style="color:rgb(102,0,0);font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">Seattle office: <i>We are currently moving our Seattle location - notice of new address coming soon!</i></b><span><font color="#660000" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></font></span></div><div><br></div><div><b style="color:rgb(102,0,0);font-family:"Trebuchet MS"">NOTICE REGARDING OPERATIONS AND COVID-19:</b><font color="#660000" face="Trebuchet MS" size="2"><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif"> </span>We see our community as working together to address COVID and its impact on our lives, health, and business. 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