Trump’s Proposal for 100% Tariff on Foreign Films: Legal Challenges and Industry Impact May 9, 2025 On Sunday, May 4, 2025, President Donald Trump announced through a Truth Social post that he intends to impose a “100% tariff on foreign produced films.” Citing a number of reasons, including the state of decline of the filmmaking industry in the United States as well as his intention to curb what he says is (propaganda). Filmmaking as a storytelling medium is by its very nature an international business, with film production occurring in locations across the globe. The production...
Hillius v. 18 Paradise, LLP, Court Denies Plaintiffs’ Post-Trial Motions in Monday Hearing April 25, 2025 Following a hearing on Monday, April 21, 2025, Judge David Freeman denied Plaintiffs’ Petition for Further Relief as well as an earlier Motion for Release of Funds that had been pending for a few weeks. These decisions add to the losses sustained by the Plaintiffs in this case following the recent denial by the Supreme Court to take up the Plaintiffs’ case for Direct Review. At the hearing, counsel for 18 Paradise, MJ Management, and a representative for the Intervenors...
Hillius v. 18 Paradise, LLP, Supreme Court Rejects Plaintiffs’ Request for Direct Review April 4, 2025 On April 2, 2025, the Washington State Supreme Court entered its order, rejecting the Plaintiff’s request for Direct Review with the State’s highest court. The one-page order, signed by Chief Justice, Steven Gonzalez, ordered the case to be transferred to Division I Court of Appeals. The Plaintiffs had primarily sought Direct Review by the Supreme Court of the trial court’s dismissal of the Plaintiffs’ Consumer Protection Act (“CPA”) claim, which had to that point been the heart of the Plaintiffs’...
Hillius v. 18 Paradise, LLP, Awaiting Decision on Motion to Dismiss in Washington State Supreme Court March 13, 2025 Following nearly 5 years of litigation in Whatcom County Superior Court and a trial in May 2024, the Hillius v. 18 Paradise, LLP case is now in front of the Washington State Supreme Court. Plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal to the State’s highest court in October 2024 and have further requested Direct Review, seeking to bypass the Court of Appeals to have the court review a slew of the trial court’s decisions on various grounds. Yet, the primary decision...
MJ Management Continues Collection Efforts Post-Hillius March 1, 2025 Following the trial court’s Final Orders entered on September 11, 2024, which determined that the correct amount of the Homestead Joint Maintenance Fee was $36.00 per homeowner per month, the court authorized both 18 Paradise and MJ Management to communicate with homeowners. Consistent with the court’s final orders, MJ Management began efforts in early 2025 to settle accounts with Homestead homeowners who still had outstanding balances owed to the company during the period it operated under its Management and Lease...