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King County District Court — civil suit

This is general information, not legal advice. Filing a lawsuit has real steps and deadlines; consider consulting an attorney.

Is this the right court for you?

Your claim	Where to file
$10,000 or less	You may prefer Small Claims (simpler, ~$50, no lawyers on either side).
$10,001–$100,000	District Court, Civil Division (this guide).
Larger claims or requests for injunctions/receivership	Superior Court, generally with an attorney.

Why name the individual as well as the company

Owners have chosen to name both the company and its principal individually, so that any judgment can reach the responsible party and not only a company that has ceased operating. Whether to do so is your decision; many owners consult an attorney on this point.

The three documents you file to start a case

Complaint — states who did what and what you are owed.
Case Information Cover Sheet — a one-page court form.
Summons — the official notice giving defendants a deadline to respond.

Formatting matters (Washington GR 14) — get this right or the clerk may reject your filing

Letter-size (8.5 × 11), white paper, black text, printed one side.
First page: top margin at least 3 inches (leaves room for the court's stamp). This is the most common rejection reason.
All other margins (sides, bottom, and top of later pages): at least 1 inch.
12-point font, 1.5 line spacing. No color, no highlighting.

Step by step (e-filing)

Go to the King County District Court e-Filing portal (kcdc-efiling.kingcounty.gov). Register as a Registered Public User, verify your email, and log in. (Filing from abroad? The portal may block foreign IPs — use a U.S.-based VPN or a U.S.-based helper.)
File a New Case → Civil Case Initiation.
Location: choose the division covering the property or the company's Seattle office.
Cause of Action: select 411110 – Breach of Contract. (Your complaint can state additional claims; this is just the docket category.)
Amount of Claim: your total. Consumer Debt: No.
Plaintiff Information: your name and mailing address.
Defendant Information: add the company in one panel (Company Name only). Then use the "+" (Add new panel) button to add a second defendant panel for the individual (name fields only, company blank). Two separate defendants.
Upload your three documents to their slots: Complaint, Case Information Cover Sheet, Summons — each "Filed By: Plaintiff." You can sign electronically by typing /s/ Your Name on the signature line.
Pay the filing fee (the District Court civil filing fee is approximately $83; fee-waiver applications are available for financial hardship). You receive a case number.

Preparing your Complaint and Summons

The Cover Sheet is a fill-in court form. The Complaint and Summons are documents you prepare. Below are plain templates. Replace every [bracket] with your own facts — do not file another owner's numbers or details as your own. If you are unsure about the legal claims, consider having an attorney review your Complaint before filing.

Format all documents to GR 14 (above): 3-inch first-page top margin, 1-inch other margins, 12-point font, 1.5 spacing, white paper.

Download a blank template (.txt)

The Complaint — template

IN THE KING COUNTY DISTRICT COURT, STATE OF WASHINGTON
[DIVISION] DIVISION

[YOUR NAME(S)], Plaintiff(s),
v.                                          No. __________
DWELLINGS SEATTLE, INC., a Washington corporation;
and [PRINCIPAL NAME], individually, Defendants.

COMPLAINT FOR DAMAGES

I. PARTIES
   - Who you are (owner of [property address]).
   - Dwellings Seattle, Inc. is a Washington corporation
     (UBI 604 007 760, 3806 California Ave SW, Seattle).
   - [Principal] is listed in Secretary of State records as a
     governor/president who, on information and belief, controlled
     the company's trust account.

II. JURISDICTION AND VENUE
   - Amount in controversy is $[amount], within District Court limits
     and not over $100,000.
   - Venue proper in King County because the property is here and the
     events occurred here.

III. FACTS
   - The date of your Property Management Agreement.
   - That it required the company to collect rent, hold it in trust,
     and remit it monthly less its fee.
   - That your tenants paid rent.
   - That the company collected [months] rent and did not remit it.
   - The amount owed.
   - That you demanded payment in writing on [date] and terminated on
     [date], and that no payment or accounting followed.

IV. CAUSES OF ACTION  (state each in its own short paragraph)
   1. Breach of Contract (against the company).
   2. Conversion (against both).
   3. Breach of Fiduciary Duty (against both — the company was your
      agent holding your funds in trust).
   4. Money Had and Received (against both).

V. PRAYER FOR RELIEF
   - Judgment against both defendants, jointly and severally, for
     $[amount]; prejudgment interest; costs and any attorney's fees
     allowed; and other relief the court finds just.

Dated: [date]
/s/ [Your Name]
[your address]
[your phone]   [your email]

Owners have included the conversion and fiduciary-duty claims because, unlike a plain contract claim, they can attach to the individual and may survive a bankruptcy. Whether to plead them is your decision; consider legal advice.

The Summons — template

[Same caption as the Complaint.]

TO THE DEFENDANTS: A lawsuit has been started against you. To defend,
you must respond to the Complaint in writing and serve a copy on the
plaintiff(s) within 20 days after service of this Summons (60 days if
served outside Washington), or a default judgment may be entered
against you. If you serve a notice of appearance, you are entitled to
notice before default. You may demand that the plaintiff(s) file this
lawsuit with the court; that demand must be in writing and served on
the plaintiff(s), and within 14 days after service the plaintiff(s)
must file, or service is void. If you wish to consult an attorney, do
so promptly. This Summons is issued under RCW 4.28 and CRLJ 4.

Dated: [date]
/s/ [Your Name]
Address where the defendant must serve their response:
[your address]

Tip: many owners in the group prepared these by starting from a shared template and substituting their own case facts. Ask the group for the current template rather than starting from a blank page. [ORGANIZERS: a downloadable blank template is linked above; if you prefer to remove it and direct owners to request it via the form instead, let us know. Do NOT post a completed, real-owner version publicly.]

After filing — serving the defendants (required)

You cannot serve the papers yourself. Use a process server (about $50–150 per defendant), or any non-party adult 18+.
The company is served through its registered agent or an officer; if the office is abandoned, Washington law allows substitute service through the Secretary of State (RCW 23.95.450), using the company's UBI number.
An individual is served personally; if they cannot be found after documented diligent attempts, the court may allow service by mail or publication.
You have 90 days from filing to serve. After service, the server signs an affidavit of service, which you file with the court. This starts the defendant's response clock (20 days if served in-state, 60 if out-of-state).

If the defendant does not respond

If the defendant does not respond (a common outcome), you may file a Motion for Default Judgment, attaching your evidence (agreement, ledgers, demand letters) to prove your damages. A judgment can then be recorded and enforced; Washington judgments are valid ten years and renewable.

Useful identifiers (public record)

Dwellings Seattle, Inc., UBI #604 007 760, registered office 3806 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116; the individual principal is listed in Secretary of State records as a governor and president of the company.

Join the group for the shared template