Victim of assault by former official won’t sue county

EVERETT — Snohomish County will face no lawsuit over the drunken sexual assault on a woman by its former planning director on a golf course three years ago.

The Seattle woman who was attacked, a building-industry lobbyist, had until late this summer to file a suit against the county. She recently decided against it, her attorney, Erika Nusser of the Seattle law firm Terrell Marshall Daudt &Willie PLLC, said Thursday.

Last year, the assault victim filed a $250,000 damage claim against the county, a precursor to a lawsuit. The woman was working for the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties when she was assaulted. The Herald is not naming her.

The assault occurred at a golf tournament the Master Builders hosted in Redmond on June 24, 2009. Craig Ladiser, the county planning director at the time, later was convicted of one count each of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and indecent exposure.

County Executive Aaron Reardon had hired Ladiser in 2004. In the mid-1980s, Ladiser resigned from a management job with the city of Bothell after he was investigated for sexually inappropriate workplace comments to a woman he supervised.

The potential lawsuit over Ladiser’s misconduct would have focused in part on three top managers under Reardon, records show. They include Brian Parry, an executive director who still oversees the planning department, former county Deputy Executive Mark Soine and the county’s former harassment investigator, Mark Knudsen. Soine and Knudsen both resigned in 2010.

“Snohomish County, in particular, Mark Soine, Brian Parry and Mark Knudsen, knew that Mr. Ladiser had a history of substance abuse and sexual harassment, and that Mr. Ladiser’s Planning Department was overrun with complaints regarding his propensity for drinking and engaging in sexually inappropriate conduct,” a letter submitted in support of the claim said. “Snohomish County knew, but failed to take any action before Mr. Ladiser sexually assaulted (the woman) while acting as the county’s representative at the golf tournament.”

Ladiser took the afternoon off work to attend the golf tournament, calling it “stakeholder relations.” His $130 entry fee was covered by the builders.

Ladiser drank heavily. While out on the course, he exposed himself and rubbed his bare genitals against the woman’s leg. Reardon’s office took nearly two months to fire Ladiser.

The decision not to pursue a lawsuit makes it less likely there will be a complete accounting of the county’s handling of the case.

Reardon’s office has maintained that he and others didn’t know about the golf course assault for weeks.

That contradicts notes released by the county nearly a year later that showed county officials were quickly aware that a leader of the Master Builders wanted to keep Ladiser in his job and was discouraging the woman from reporting what happened to police. The notes also record Ladiser early on telling Parry about what happened on the golf course — something Parry has denied.

Phone records have since surfaced suggesting county leaders recognized there was a serious problem. The day Ladiser went on leave, Parry first called a Master Builders employee, then spent nearly two hours on the phone conferring with Soine, who was in Arizona on vacation. Those calls were followed up by conversations with Reardon and Ladiser.

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen talks with Volunteers of America leadership to discuss the consequences of the federal cuts on Monday, June 30, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Federal cuts to LGBTQ+ youth hotline to hit Everett center

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, visited the call center Monday to discuss impacts of the cuts, including longer wait times and staff layoffs.

U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, right, goes over a Chinook Marsh Project map with Snohomish County Surface Water Management’s Michael Rustay, left, and Erik Stockdale, center, at the project site on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County receives $10 million grant for floodplain management

The state Department of Ecology funding will go toward 13 projects across the county working to restore habitat and support climate resiliency.

The Washington state Capitol. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
These Washington laws take effect July 1

Fee hikes for hunting and fishing licenses, workplace protections for immigrants and… Continue reading

Everett
Everett could levy fines for non-emergency lift assists at care facilities

The ordinance intends to discourage licensed care facilities from calling 911 to perform lift assists in a non-emergency situation.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.