1 2 3 FILED Hearing 2020 JAN 31 03:57 PMdate: February 7, 2020 Hearing KING COUNTY time: 9:00 a.m. Judge/Calendar: SUPERIOR COURT CLERK Hon. Marshall Ferguson E-FILED CASE #: 19-2-30171-6 SEA 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF KING ) GARFIELD COUNTY ) TRANSPORTION AUTHORITY; et al, ) CASE NO. 19-2-30171-6 SEA ) Plaintiffs, ) INTERVENOR DIDIER’S and ) REPLY ON SUMMARY ) JUDGMENT WASHINGTON ADAPT, ) ) Intervenor-Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) ) Defendant. ) and ) ) CLINT DIDIER; PERMANENT ) OFFENSE; TIMOTHY D. EYMAN; ) MICHAEL FAGAN; JACK FAGAN; and ) PIERCE COUNTY, ) ) Intervenor-Defendants ) ___________________________________ ) Plaintiffs are without a justiciable controversy in this case, as neither they nor their 21 bootstrapped non-parties can assert any damages whatsoever prior to the time that 22 Initiative 976 becomes law. Their status remains the same as it was before I-976 was INTERVENOR DIDIER’S REPLY ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT - 1 STEPHEN W. PIDGEON Attorney at Law, P.S. 1523 132nd Street SE, Suite C-350 Everett, Washington 98208 (425)347-7513 1 approved by the voters. Plaintiffs’ action should be summarily dismissed since the 2 particular damages which are asserted by plaintiffs have not been implemented and their 3 claim is speculative. Snohomish Cty. v. Anderson, 124 Wn.2d 834, 840, 881 P.2d 240 4 (1994). Plaintiffs claims are non-justiciable. Asarco Inc. v. Department of Ecology, 43 P. 5 3d 471, 475 (Washington Supreme Court)( 2002), quoting First United Methodist Church 6 of Seattle v. Hearing Exam'r, 129 Wash.2d 238, 245, 916 P.2d 374 (1996) (quoting First 7 Covenant Church v. City of Seattle, 114 Wash.2d 392, 398, 787 P.2d 1352 (1990) (quoting 8 Diversified Indus. Dev. Corp. v. Ripley, 82 Wash.2d 811, 815, 514 P.2d 137 (1973). 9 Plaintiffs’ assertions of bond impairment and impairment of contracts requires 10 evidence of said bonds and contracts, all of which are subject to adjudication by a trier of 11 fact. Intervenor objects to all evidence of bonds and contracts belonging to Sound Transit, 12 the City of Burien, and all other plaintiffs, including any oral contracts, on the basis of the 13 failure to establish admissibility or an evidentiary foundation for the admission of said 14 bonds or contracts. This evidence is at issue, and summary judgment does not lie if 15 material facts are at issue. CR 56. 16 Plaintiffs argue impairment of contracts in violation of Article I, Section 23 of 17 Washington’s Constitution. Any impairment issue requires a trier of fact to determine the 18 credibility and validity of the asserted evidence to determine facts at issue. The trier of fact 19 must first examine whether a contractual relationship actually exists. This requires the trier 20 of fact to determine a material issue, precluding summary judgment. The trier of fact must 21 also determine whether the legislation substantially impairs the contractual relationship. 22 Again, this requires the trier of fact to determine a material issue, precluding summary INTERVENOR DIDIER’S REPLY ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT - 2 STEPHEN W. PIDGEON Attorney at Law, P.S. 1523 132nd Street SE, Suite C-350 Everett, Washington 98208 (425)347-7513 1 judgment. Finally, the trier of fact must determine if there is a substantial impairment of 2 said contract, which again requires the trier of fact to determine a material issue, 3 precluding summary judgment. See Allied Structural Steel Co. v. Spannaus, 438 U.S. 234, 4 244 n. 15, 57 L.Ed.2d 727, 98 S.Ct. 2716 (1978). Accord Caritas Servs., Inc. v. 5 Department of Social & Health Servs., 123 Wn.2d 391, 402-03, 869 P.2d 28 (1994). 6 Because plaintiffs have asserted contracts, summary judgment does not lie because 7 material issues are present. CR 56. 8 9 10 However, I-976 does not impair the contracts alleged by the plaintiffs at all, given that I-976 is not yet law. Plaintiffs ask this court to assert its opinion above the opinion of over a million 11 Washington voters who were properly and lawfully briefed on the Initiative and its 12 expected impact. Plaintiffs can neither construct a duty nor impose a burden on the 13 sponsors of this initiative which cannot be found in the Constitution of the State of 14 Washington, because this court does not have the constitutional authority to exceed the 15 expression of the people in a lawful election; rather, the court may only adjudicate the 16 discrepancies between what the people have established as the governing authority within 17 their Constitution, and the acts they have taken to govern themselves in a duly-passed 18 initiative. Article I, Section 1, Constitution of the State of Washington. 19 Intervenor, conversely, has set forth no factual issues requiring the adjudication of 20 this court or any other trier of fact. Instead, the declaration of Clint Didier sets forth the 21 election results, admissible pursuant to ER 803(a)(8), to which there has been no objection 22 nor counter argument even raised, and of course, the information contained in the Voters INTERVENOR DIDIER’S REPLY ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT - 3 STEPHEN W. PIDGEON Attorney at Law, P.S. 1523 132nd Street SE, Suite C-350 Everett, Washington 98208 (425)347-7513 1 Pamphlet in all relevant parts concerning Initiative 976 (which included the entirety of the 2 text of the initiative), admissible pursuant to ER 803(a)(8). Again, no objection was raised, 3 nor any counter argument set forth. 4 As a result, in respect of Intervenor’s Motion for Summary Judgment, there are no 5 material issues present, and Intervenor is deserving of summary judgment as a matter of 6 fact; Plaintiffs have failed to meet their high threshold burden of proof to establish that I- 7 976 in unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt, and I-976 is presumed constitutional. 8 Therefore, Intervenor is deserving of summary judgment as a matter of law. 9 Dated this 31st day of January 2020. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 INTERVENOR DIDIER’S REPLY ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT - 4 STEPHEN W. PIDGEON Attorney at Law, P.S. 1523 132nd Street SE, Suite C-350 Everett, Washington 98208 (425)347-7513