Articles Tagged Joel F. Murray

Jul 06 2017

Washington State Legislature Passes and Governor Enacts $43.7 Billion Dollar Budget on the Eve of a Government Shutdown

The Washington State Legislature, which was in its third Special Session, finally found a way for Democrats and Republicans to…

Nov 23 2016

Ballot Initiative 1433 Passed, Increasing Washington State Minimum Wage and Mandating Paid Sick Leaves Passes

In February, I wrote about proposed legislation in the Washington State Legislature that would make employer-provided health benefits count towards…

Sep 30 2016

Detention and Demurrage Charges within the Context of the Hanjin Shipping Company Bankruptcy

The 2014-2015 West Coast Port Slowdown was costly to parties that import and export goods. There were significant delays in…

Feb 02 2016

Proposed Legislation Would Make Health Benefits Count Towards Minimum Wage; Proposed Ballot Initiative Would Raise Washington State Minimum Wage to $13.50 and Require Employers to Provide Employees with Paid Sick Leave

At a time when cities throughout Western Washington are raising or considering raising their minimum wage, legislation recently introduced by Rep. Drew MacEwen…

Nov 13 2015

Dance Tax Update: The Legislature Permanently Removes the Department of Revenue’s Authority to Apply Sales Tax to Cover and Admission Charges

In May 2014, I drafted a blog post about the application of Washington State sales tax to cover and admission…

Apr 08 2015

Update: Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Expresses Concern About Invalid Demurrage/Detention Charges Associated with the West Coast Port Slowdown Being Billed to Companies

As discussed in our March 13, 2015 blog post, due to the West Coast Port slowdown and other factors, businesses…

Mar 13 2015

Demurrage and Detention Charges Within the Context of the West Coast Port Labor Dispute and Continuing Struggles of Ports to Handle Increased Shipping Traffic and Next Generation Container Ships

Starting in mid 2014, at ports up and down the West Coast, including the Port of Seattle and Port of…

Nov 07 2014

MDK Law Settles Lawsuit Over Demurrage Fees With Well-Known Freight Rail Carrier

Last month, MDK Law attorneys Mark D. Kimball and Joel F. Murray settled a major lawsuit with a well-known freight…