Crane Dunham pllc

Earnest Money Deposits

An increasing number of buyers of new condominium units in downtown Seattle and Bellevue find themselves unable or unwilling to close on their units for financing, employment or personal life changes that have occurred since putting down their substantial earnest money deposits.

Business Interruption

Businesses, from large to small, service to manufacturing, likely have “property insurance” that may cover their income losses due to shutdown orders from the government arising from CoVid-19. Our office represents medical and dental clinics, restaurants, entertainment venues, lodging and other Puget Sound businesses, usually on a contingent fee basis, in reviewing their insurance policies and pursuing their claims for income losses.

Eminent Domain

Property owners who are asked to grant or convey all or some of their property to governmental agencies, including Sound Transit, for public projects are entitled to just compensation for the value of their property interests. Our office represents property owners in Seattle, Shoreline, Des Moines, Bellevue and other jurisdictions to ensure that they receive all of the compensation that they are entitled to be given for their property.

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Condo Buyers, through Crane Dunham, assert their legal right to return of their earnest money deposits

The Seattle and Bellevue downtowns experienced a surge in the construction and sale of new high rise condominium projects starting around 2016/2018. Currently, in the middle of a pandemic with no end in sight, thousands of condo buyers are being pressured by developers to either close on the purchase of their units or forfeit their earnest money deposit (EMDs), which range from $50,000 to more than $200,000. However, the developers don’t tell the buyers that they may be legally entitled to get back their EMDs.

Fortunately, Crane Dunham is successfully representing condo buyers, on a contingent fee basis, who don’t or can’t close on their units, and helping them to recover their EMDs by asserting the buyers’ legal rights ….

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Practice Areas

With over 100 years of experience between our founding partners, Crane Dunham PLLC offers depth of experience across a breadth of practice areas. From real estate matters to landmark class action lawsuits, we’re a boutique civil law firm that can handle complex and high-value matters, building on our foundational belief that the best lawyers provide four critical attributes: trust, credibility, knowledge and experience.

I am a lawyer who has been licensed to practice in Washington state since 1986. I have had the good fortune during this time to work with Stephen Crane in a number of different capacities. Stephen has been my co-counsel, I have acted as an expert witness for Stephen’s clients and he has represented my company in its capacity as a court appointed receiver in a number of matters. No matter what his role, Stephen has always been creative with his solutions, professional in all his interactions and incredibly effective in resolving problems. I highly recommend Stephen to any party with a legal issue.
Kevin Hanchett

Principal, Resource Transition Consultants