Federal judge approves settlement over Washington's competency delays
Judge Pechman gave final approval to a comprehensive settlement in the Trueblood case, requiring the state to complete in-jail competency evaluations within 14 days and inpatient restoration admissions within 7 days, alongside new commitments on diversion programs, crisis triage, and workforce development. The agreement followed years of contempt findings that had failed to bring the state into compliance on their own.
The settlement did not end the litigation — a court-appointed monitor would continue tracking compliance for years afterward, and further contempt findings and fines would follow when the state fell short of the new deadlines.
Source: Federal Judge gives final approval to Trueblood settlement agreement — DSHS (Washington State Department of Social and Health Services), by Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
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