Grace City Church Noise Complaint Case Halted at Chelan County Superior Court

The noise complaint case issued against Grace City Church reaches another impasse after Chelan County Superior Court ordered counsel to reexamine local court law.

On Jan. 11, Chelan County Superior Court Judge Kristin M. Ferrera issued a letter to counsel, asking both parties for additional information on the local rules process between 2015-22.

A week prior to this letter, Ferrera ruled to remand this noise ordinance case back to Chelan County District Court for an additional hearing, writing that the rules used to dismiss this case were not enacted properly.

On April 26, 2022, Judge Pro Tempore Jon Volyn dismissed this case in Chelan County District Court after receiving written statements from GCC staff. 

On May 25, 2022, the City of Wenatchee appealed to the Chelan County Superior Court, arguing that the Chelan County District Court infringed upon the city’s right to due process when the court dismissed the case after reading GCC’s written statements, rather than with an extensive hearing.

Volyn was following a rule passed in 2015, local rule IRLJ 3.5, that allows the judge to dismiss a case based on the written evidence provided, rather than with a public hearing with both parties. 

Ferrera wrote that due to further review on local review adoption procedures set forth by the Administration Office of the Courts (AOC), she would be reversing her decision to remand this case back to district court.

Attorneys for both the City of Wenatchee and GCC will now need to submit the following by Jan. 27:

• AOC’s instructions to Chelan County District Court on local rule submissions between 2015 and 2022.
• Copies of Chelan County District Court’s local rule submissions to the AOC between 2016 to 2022.

If additional time is needed, counsel can submit a declaration explaining why they need more time.

Click here for more information on Chelan County District Court’s local rules on mitigation or contested hearings.