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Lawsuits

DNR made a commitment in 1997 to restore old growth forests across 10-15% of state forestlands in Western Washington. DNR has completely ignored this commitment.  Instead, the agency has been aggressively logging the very forests it needs to protect to meet its targets.

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Because there is no independent right of action against DNR, multiple, parallel lawsuits are necessary to demonstrate an ongoing pattern of administrative abuse. We are determined to hold DNR accountable for violating its own policies to protect and restore structurally complex and old growth forests in Western Washington.

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Meet Our Attorneys

Snohomish County Superior Court

Lawsuit Filed: July 2, 2024 

Status: Hearing scheduled for February 2025

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Pacific County Superior Court

Lawsuit Filed: March 7, 2024 

Status: Pending in the Division II Court of Appeals

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Jefferson County Superior Court

Lawsuit Filed: December 7, 2023 

Status: Injunction approved

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Lewis County Superior Court

Lawsuit Filed: October 2024 

Status: Pending

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Thurston County Superior Court

Lawsuit Filed: February 1, 2024 

Status: Pending

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Attorneys

Our Attorneys​

Alicia LeDuc Montgomery

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Alicia holds a JD from Willamette University and an MPA from the Evergreen State College, where she was a Sustainability Fellow and research associate with the Sustainability in Prisons Project. She is a sixth generation resident of the Pacific Northwest, and has been working in and around state and local government in Washington for the past 20 years. She was a member of the trial team that obtained the largest jury verdict in Oregon history, in a $1.1 billion class action against the Oregon Department of Forestry regarding timber management practices. She currently represents non-profits and activists in civil rights and government affairs matters.

Wyatt Golding

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Wyatt is a top-rated attorney who practices law in Seattle, Washington.  He earned his law license in 2011, and worked at the Washington Forest Law Center until 2016. Before practicing law, he worked as a law clerk at the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division in Washington, DC, and the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Seattle.  He has also worked as a volunteer for Alaska Business Development Center Alaska Native Tax Preparation Program, and a supervising attorney at the University of Washington School of Law Regulatory Environmental Law and Policy Clinic.

Paulo Palugod

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Paulo has successfully argued nationally significant federal and state actions under environmental and natural resources laws, including the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act. Prior to joining the Cascadia Law Group, Paulo was an attorney at Earthjustice, representing environmental organizations and tribes in advocacy before federal and state courts.  Paulo has also served as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and as a Senior Sustainability Officer in the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Margaret J. Lee

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Margaret advises municipalities, port districts, Tribal governments, and private clients on a wide array of complex environmental matters, including remediation cost recovery and allocation, natural resource damages, climate and energy policy and permitting, water resources, and water quality. Prior to joining the Cascadia Law Group, Margaret served as an Administrative Appeals Judge and Mediator for the Washington State Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office (ELUHO), and assisted clients on environmental litigation, allocation, and regulatory compliance as a private attorney.

Toby Thaler

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Toby Thaler (Seattle) received his law degree (J.D.) from the University of Washington Law School. For many years he was a successful advocate for natural resource conservation. He has a wide range of experience in natural resources law and policy, including work with Native American Tribes on the Olympic Peninsula, Seattle City Light, Washington Environmental Council, Olympic Forest Coalition, and Washington Forest Law Center. Toby has also offered his pro bono legal services to various environmental organizations, including Washington Environmental Council.

Peter Goldman

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After clerking for Washington State Supreme Court Justice James M. Dolliver, Peter joined the criminal division of the King County Prosecutor's office, where he spent 11 years as a trial lawyer in all of the office's divisions. During his last five years, Peter was a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Appellate Division, where he handled over 200 complex criminal appeals. Peter is currently the Director of the Washington Forest Law Center, and has been advising and assisting the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition, and Center for Responsible Forestry on multiple lawsuits against DNR over the past four years.

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