Washington Case Deadlines

Washington Case Deadlines

Compute and track deadlines for Washington civil cases. The agent should invoke this skill automatically when the user asks a timing question, without requiring an explicit command.

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Court-rule day counts and statute-of- limitation periods are amended by court rule or by the Legislature; the canonical source for current values is scripts/case-calendar.py (encoded named rules) plus wa-law-references/references/court-rules/ (full rule text) plus wa-law-references/references/wa-rcw-debt/ (statute text). This skill describes the workflow; it does not embed the specific day counts.

How to answer a deadline question

1. Identify the triggering event. What happened? (e.g., "I was served on April 1", "the judge signed the order on March 15", "the garnishment writ was mailed yesterday").

2. Identify the rule. Name the controlling rule (CR 12(a), CRLJ 6(d), RCW 6.27, etc.) so the user knows what governs. If uncertain, read the rule text in wa-law-references/references/court-rules/.

3. Compute the date using the Python helper. The script encodes the current WA-state-holiday list (RCW 1.16.050 with the Saturday→Friday / Sunday→Monday observed-day shift) plus a catalog of named WA rules:

   python3 "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/case-calendar.py" \
     --from 2026-06-03 \
     --days -3 \
     --mode court
   

   Flags:

   • --from YYYY-MM-DD — triggering date
   • --days N — offset (negative = before; positive = after)
   • --mode court|calendar — court-day counting (skips weekends
     • WA state holidays) or calendar-day counting
   • --rules — list the named rules the script knows about (use this to discover the current day count for a specific rule rather than relying on memory)

4. Report clearly. Give the date, the day of the week, whether any intervening holiday pushed the count, and the rule citation.

Optional — maintain a per-case calendar

If the user wants a tracked calendar for the case, store it at [case-folder]/CASE_CALENDAR.md with this shape:

# Case Calendar — [Case Name], Cause No. [number]

Court: [court]
Judge: [if known]
Defendant: [pro se]

## Events
- 2025-01-15: Summons served on Defendant
- 2025-02-14: Answer due (CR 12(a))
- 2025-03-01: First Discovery Request served
- 2025-03-31: Discovery responses due (CR 33/34)

## Completed
- [x] 2025-02-14: Answer filed

## Notes
[running notes]

When the user adds a new event, append to ## Events, compute any derived deadlines via the helper, and add those too.

Court-day vs. calendar-day counting

• Calendar days — every day, including weekends and holidays
• Court days — excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and WA state legal holidays
• CR 6(a) governs which mode applies; periods of fewer than 7 days typically count court days, longer periods typically count calendar days, but there are rule-specific exceptions. For the controlling text, see wa-law-references/references/court-rules/CR.md (CR 6).

Categories of named WA deadlines (chapter pointers)

Rather than enumerating specific day counts (which drift), this skill points at the rule sets that govern each category. The helper script encodes the current values; the rule text lives in the corpus.

For the current day count on any specific rule, run python3 .../case-calendar.py --rules (lists encoded named rules with their current values) or read the relevant reference file.

Common triggering events — workflow

When the user reports one of these, run the helper to derive the specific deadlines:

• "I was served with a summons" → answer deadline (CR 12(a); check WA-resident vs. non-resident)
• "I got a writ of garnishment" → exemption claim deadline (RCW 6.27 — check the longer of mailing-vs-service variant)
• "The judge ruled against me" → reconsideration (CR 59) + appeal (RAP 5.2) deadlines
• "Plaintiff served discovery" → response due (CR 33/34/36; apply CR 6(e) if served by mail)
• "I filed a motion to compel" → opposing response + reply (CR 6(d) — different in superior vs. district court)
• "The creditor sent me a validation notice" → FDCPA dispute window (15 U.S.C. § 1692g)
• "I'm being sued on an old debt" → check the applicable WA SOL at RCW 4.16 against the date-of-default

Washington legal holidays

The helper script observes the current RCW 1.16.050 holiday list with the Saturday→Friday / Sunday→Monday observed-day shift.

Federal court divergence: federal courts do NOT observe every WA-state holiday — check the local federal court calendar rather than the WA-state list if the matter is federal.

Local closures: each court / chambers may declare additional closures (inclement weather, administrative days). The helper script does not know about these — check the court's website for anything near a declared closure.

For the current legal-holiday list and the observed-day-shift rule, see wa-law-references/references/wa-rcw-debt/ or the case-calendar.py --rules output.

Output format (example)

Case: Velocity Investments LLC v. Doe
Today: 2026-04-23

UPCOMING DEADLINES:

🔴 Overdue:
   (none)

🟡 Within 7 days:
   - 2026-04-28 (5 days): Response to Motion to Compel — CRLJ 6(d)

🟢 Later:
   - 2026-05-29 (36 days): Reply brief — CR 6(d)
   - 2026-06-03 (41 days): Hearing on Motion to Compel

Notes

• Extensions — CR 6(b) allows extensions for cause; stipulations of counsel are common. Update the calendar when granted.
• Mail service adds time per CR 6(e) — apply when the method of service is by mail. For the current add-on day count, see court-rules/CR.md.
• Do not rely solely on this skill — verify each deadline against the current rule text and the court's calendar for holidays and adjustments.