Washington Public Trust Advocates ex rel. City of Spokane v. City of Spokane

In connection with the downtown Spokane River Park Square parking improvements, Washington Public Trust Advocates (WPTA) brought a “taxpayers’ derivative action,” naming both the city of Spokane and the Spokane Parking Public Development Authority (SPPDA) as plaintiffs without their consent. The trial court dismissed the suit under CR 12(b)(6), concluding no legal basis existed in Washington for a citizen to file an unauthorized complaint in the name of a governmental entity. WPTA appealed. We affirm.

FACTS

In the 1990s, the City and property owners of the River Park Square Mall designed plans…