OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The state of Washington is suing the city of Sunnyside, contending the city has unlawfully and repeatedly used its Crime Free Rental Housing Program to force tenants out of their homes without evidence that they engaged in criminal activity.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed the civil rights lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Spokane.
The lawsuit accuses Sunnyside of forcing people from their homes without proper notice or court orders, in violation of state and federal law.
The lawsuit contends most of the unlawfully evicted residents have been Latino, women or families with children.