Rule IRLJ 3.3 - Procedure At Contested Hearing(a) Generally. The court shall conduct the hearing for contesting the notice of infraction on the record in accordance with applicable law.(b) Representation by Lawyer. At a contested hearing, the plaintiff shall be represented by a lawyer representative of the prosecuting authority when prescribed by local court rule. The defendant may be represented by a lawyer. If the defendant is represented by a lawyer and the lawyer has filed a notice of appearance, including a waiver of the defendant's presence, the defendant may appear through counsel at the contested hearing unless the defendant's presence is otherwise required by statute or the court rules.(c) Rules of Evidence. The Rules of Evidence and statutes that relate to evidence in infraction cases shall apply to contested hearings. The court may consider the notice of infraction and any other written report made under oath submitted by the officer who issued the notice or whose written statement was the basis for the issuance of the notice in lieu of the officer's personal appearance at the hearing, unless the defendant has caused the officer to be served with a subpoena to appear in accordance with instructions from the court issued pursuant to rule 2.6(a)(2).(d) Factual Determination. The court shall determine whether the plaintiff has proved by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant committed the infraction. If the court finds the infraction was committed, it shall enter an appropriate order on its records. If the court finds the infraction was not committed, it shall enter an order dismissing the case.(e) Disposition. If the court determines that the infraction has been committed, it may assess a monetary penalty against the defendant. The monetary penalty assessed may not exceed the monetary penalty provided for the infraction by law. The court may waive or suspend a portion of the monetary penalty, or provide for time payments, or in lieu of monetary payment provide for the performance of community restitution as provided by law. The court has continuing jurisdiction and authority to supervise disposition for not more than one (1) year.Wash. R. Ct. Lim. Juri. IRLJ 3.3
[Adopted as JTIR effective 1/1/1981; Amended effective 3/20/1981. Changed from JTIR to IRLJ effective 9/1/1992; 9/1/1997; 1/3/2006; 9/1/2018; amended effective 6/7/2024.