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King County sued over levee breaches during December flooding
Dozens of people are suing King County and its flooding district, claiming they knew the levees that breached in December could not withstand a flooding disaster.
KING COUNTY, Wash. - Dozens of King County residents and businesses are suing King County and the country's flood district over catastrophic flooding caused by levee failures in December 2025.
The suit alleges county officials knew for years that levees along the Green and White rivers were unsafe but failed to fix them.
The backstory:
The Desimone levee near Tukwila breached on Dec. 15, followed by a second failure near Pacific a day later, forcing evacuations. More than 1,500 residents were displaced as floodwaters damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure.
Drone footage of the flooding in Pacific in December 2025.
The lawsuit claims the county ignored repeated warnings about damages and deterioration of the levees, including aging temporary barriers.
Plaintiffs argued the flood-control system damaged private property without compensation. The lawsuit demands money to pay for property damages, with the amount to be determined by a jury at trial.
What they're saying:
Three law firms are representing the plaintiffs, including Ogden Murphy Wallace, Rosen Saba, and Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis.
"The County had years to fix these levees," said Robert Curtis of the law firm Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis. "Instead, they left communities exposed and damaged. This was a preventable tragedy."
FOX 13 Seattle has reached out to the King County Flood District for comment and we are waiting to hear back.
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The Source: Information in this story came from a complaint filed in King County Superior Court, a joint press release from law firms Ogden Murphy Wallace, Rosen Saba, and Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.