Armen Yousoufian's Blog

After 30 years in business/investment real estate, I added "citizen activist" to my resume in 1997 when I requested sports stadium documents of King County Executive Ron Sims. After being "stonewalled", I sued, winning more at every stage, up to the state Supreme Court. Documents disgorged by Sims (after 4 years denying they existed!) revealed rigged studies. Sims misled the public on the stadiums. Other issues found me (e.g. Critical Areas Ordinance). Google “Armen Yousoufian” for more.

About Me

Name:
Location: Vashon, Washington, United States

I was born and raised in New York City. I took classical violin lessons for 10 years and studied astronomy. I built telescopes, grinding the mirrors from scratch. I was a nerd! I considered a career in classical violin but chose astrophysics. I majored in Physics at Rutgers University for 2 years, then switched and graduated in mechanical engineering. I moved to Seattle in 1969 to work on missiles for Boeing, got an MBA from Seattle University, and became a business and real estate entrepreneur for over 30 years. In 1997 I became involved in open government activism when I asked King County Executive Ron Sims for sports stadium documents. I was stonewalled. I sued under the Open Records, or Public Disclosure, Act. I won the case in King County Superior Court, but still didn’t get all the documents, nor recovered my legal fees, which the law said I was entitled to be reimbursed. I appealed and won more in the Court of Appeals and the court of public opinion. But I still didn’t get all the documents! I appealed again and won yet more in the Washington State Supreme Court. But I still don’t have all the documents! While that fight goes on I have become involved in new issues.

Friday, July 08, 2005

July 28 courtroom "round #4" in Ron Sims/King County Public Disclosure Act litigation

NEWS FLASH @ 10:20 AM, Wednesday morning, July 27

JUST RECEIVED NEWS THIS HEARING HAS JUST BEEN CANCELLED AND IS NOW BEING RESCHEDULED DUE TO THE JUDGE THROWING OUT HIS BACK. SEE THE FOLLOWING POSTING FOR POSSIBLE DATES THE HEARING IS TO BE RESCHEDULED TO: http://yousoufian.blogspot.com/2005/07/flash-july-28-hearing-cancelled-to-be.html

Update on the Ron Sims/King County Public Disclosure Act litigation:

To: all those who have been following my now over 8 year long saga and litigation against Ron Sims/King County over finally admitted violations of the Washington state Public Disclosure, or Open Records, Act (involving production of sports stadium records I requested in 1997 and whose existence was denied for four years),

Subject: What is happening next that is available for the public to observe.

Item: Courtroom round #4 - back in King County Superior Court, under orders of remand from the Court of Appeals (January, 2003 decision) and Washington State Supreme Court (September, 2004 decision)

When: Thursday, July 28, 2005, 9 AM to Noon

Where: King County Courthouse, 3rd and James, downtown Seattle, courtroom of King County Superior Court Michael Hayden, Room East #863, Seattle

What: Since the state Supreme Court ruled in my favor in September, 2004 (the third, and increasingly favorable ruling in the course of this litigation), we have slowly been working our way toward courtroom round #4 - back in King County Superior Court, where it all began years ago.

On July 28, 2005 we will have a hearing which will pick up where the 2001 trial in King County Superior Court left off (under a different judge, as the original judge has since retired), as modified by the decisions in the Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court. This proceeding will include oral argument by my attorneys (and rebuttal by King County's attorneys) as part of the process of the judge making a final determination of the level of daily penalties to be assessed against King County.

Please come and observe these proceedings, and show the court that the public is concerned about the Open Records, or Public Disclosure, Act.

More detailed information may be posted at this blog as it becomes available. I urge you to check back from time to time, and especially by no later than the day before the July 28 hearing, and scan it for postings related to this hearing, or any possible changes to the schedule. I will also post updates after July 28 at the blog, including the judge's decision, once it is released.

If you are going to attend the July 28 hearing, and to best appreciate what will be going on, or to just get up to speed on this case, or to review what's happened to date, you can link to the Washington State Supreme Court's September 30, 2005 opinions in my case, and many newspaper articles and blog postings that followed, by going to:

http://yousoufian.blogspot.com/2005/07/washington-supreme-court-favorable.html

You can also learn about the history of this case by going to:

http://www.ArmenYousoufian.com/ (for lots of material on this case, including the legal briefs)

and

http://www.Yousoufian.blogspot.com/ (this blog, which includes updated material on the PDA litigation, and which goes beyond what is at the website)

Armen Yousoufian

posted by Armen Yousoufian | 11:22 PM

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