Washington State is one of the nine community property states in the country. This means that, as a general rule, spouses will own an equal interest in any property acquired during the marriage, even where only one spouse’s name is on the bank account, paycheck, or title. This distinction has a …
A “dependency” case is a juvenile court case where someone, almost always the state through Child Protective Services (CPS), petitions the court for removal of the child from the parents and asks that the court make a finding that the child is “dependent” under Washington State law. A dependent c…
In Washington State, when a child is removed from the home by CPS, by law there must be a court hearing within 72 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) known as a 72 Hour Shelter Care Hearing. CPS is required by law to make reasonable efforts to inform the parents that their child w…