Judge Chad Allred (Ret.) brings over 25 years of experience resolving complex and challenging civil disputes. Most recently, Judge Allred served for a decade on the King County Superior Court, where he presided over more than 200 trials, as well as numerous appeals from state agencies and courts of limited jurisdiction. He is known for his calm demeanor, reasoned decisions, and strong, fair case management. His time on the court included service on the court’s governing Executive Committee and as chief judge of the Maleng Regional Justice Center.

Before joining the bench, Judge Allred handled trials and appeals in federal and state courts and litigated claims involving securities fraud, franchising violations, racketeering, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) breaches, construction defects, copyright infringement, breach of fiduciary duty, trust and estate distributions, consumer protection violations, breach of contract, bankruptcy, fraudulent conveyance and Medicaid compliance.

For over 10 years, Judge Allred served as an officer in the United States Coast Guard (Reserve), where his assignments included the JAG program and leading law-enforcement and maritime-security teams. As a JAG officer, Judge Allred qualified as a contingency mission lawyer and advised command staff on maritime issues. Among other awards, he earned the U.S. Coast Guard Achievement Medal and the Special Operations Service Ribbon.

Judge Allred’s vast experience in both trying and settling cases gives him a keen sense of when a case is ripe for resolution. And his calm, optimistic approach helps attorneys and parties get across the finish line. 

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• King County Superior Court (2014–2024), including service as chief judge of the Maleng Regional Justice Center
• As settlement judge, successfully mediated cases ranging from stock-valuation disputes to wage-and-hour claims to dram-shop liability
• Trial and appellate attorney handing complex civil litigation in federal and state courts (1998–2013)
• Taught on numerous topics, including best practices for summary judgment motions, effectively using jury instructions, Washington’s Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act (TEDRA) and Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

Judge Allred served as a neutral in all matters listed below unless noted otherwise:

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• Scores of disputes involving breach of contract, unfair competition, unjust enrichment, fraud, conspiracy, partnerships, shareholders, Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA)
• Complex issues of lost profits and income, business valuation and accounting
• National medical company’s business interruption insurance claim for losses related to COVID-19
• Claims by state regulator alleging cybersecurity and data mismanagement by international wireless provider
• Mediated dispute over value of co-founder’s ownership units in software startup
• Claims of defamation, invasion of privacy by false light and violation of Uniform Public Expression Protection Act between property developer and political candidate
• Construction
• Claims related to construction defects, design defects, engineering standards, change orders, delay, disruption, loss of productivity, liquidated damages, nonpayment, construction and mechanic’s liens, sureties and safety violations
• Disputes involving general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, inspectors, commercial buildings, single-family homes and condominiums
• Claims related to Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Standard Specifications for Road, Bridge, and Municipal Construction and standards of Associated General Contractors of America
• Trial on claims that subcontractor defectively fabricated steel bridge that spans river near Seattle
• Multiparty dispute related to alleged defects in high-rise office building in downtown Seattle
• Construction company’s appeal of decision by Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) for violation of Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) (affirmed, Metier Constr. Co., Inc. v. Dep’t of Labor and Indus., 8 Wn. App. 2d 1032 (2019))
• Employment Law
• Claims of discrimination (race, sex, age, medical and disability), harassment, retaliation, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, as well as noncompetition agreements and trade secret theft
• Claims for wage-and-hour violations, breach of employment contract, severance and unpaid compensation, including class actions
• Mediation of employee’s Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) claims against one of country’s top-grossing retailers
• Issues related to accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and General Rule (GR) 33
• Issue of whether employee guidelines and notice of claim for damages were protected activities for purposes of wrongful-discharge claim (affirmed, Piel v. City of Federal Way, 194 Wn. App. 1002 (2016))
• Estate Probate Trusts
• Claims of breach of fiduciary duty, estate and trust mismanagement, will contest and improper probate; issues involving attestation, codicils, lost wills, lack of capacity, guardianship, power of attorney (POA) and minor beneficiaries
• TEDRA claims against personal representative for mismanagement and conversion of estate assets
• Counsel for family of elderly, vulnerable adult who, through undue influence, was manipulated into marriage and changing his estate plan
• Counsel for beneficiary of multiparty estate-and-trust dispute that involved multiple businesses and properties in Washington and California
• Family Law
• Numerous dissolution trials and motions involving complex financial issues and high-net-worth parties (often doctors, lawyers, realtors, and other professionals)
• Extensive experience with characterization, valuation, and division of closely-held businesses, stock, stock options, restricted stock units, LLC interests, and retirement benefits
• Trials and motions regarding relocation of children
• Significant experience in high-conflict cases, including cases involving parental alienation and reunification therapy
• Federal Law
• Issues related to federal preemption, abstention and standing, as well as collateral and preclusive effect of federal litigation
• As counsel, four-week federal trial on telecommunications company's claims of misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference with business relations and violation of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act
• As counsel, U.S. District Court trials, and in the U.S. Court of Appeals, on claims under Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
• As counsel, defended medical supplies provider against Department of Justice allegations of fraud and improper billing
• As counsel, First Amendment litigation in U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court
• As counsel, numerous claims, motions, and hearings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
• As JAG counsel, prosecution of military member for rape of underage tribal member
• Insurance
• Claims related to business income and interruption, first-party and third-party policies, intentional torts, subrogation, uninsured and underinsured motorists (UIM), bad faith, Insurance Fair Conduct Act (IFCA), title insurance, and exclusions for pollution, natural disasters, viruses, and microorganisms
• As counsel, disputes about insurance for commercial general liability, directors and officers, errors and omissions, employment practices, intellectual property and key persons
• As counsel in federal court, claim on issue of first impression regarding coverage for invasion of privacy
• Personal Injury/Torts
• Claims for wrongful death, catastrophic injury and quadriplegia, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, landlord and premises liability, and municipal liability
• Trucking and roadway disputes, including claims for negligent highway design, road construction, and road maintenance, and investigations of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
• Claims against state agencies and others related to child sex abuse, trauma, repressed memories and foster care abuse and negligence
• Extensive experience with experts on neurology, orthopedics, vascular system and other medical fields, as well as maximum medical improvement and life care plans
• Lawsuit for catastrophic heavy equipment injury at SeaTac international Airport, including liability of Port of Seattle and major airlines and issues related to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Safety Administration (TSA)
• Trials regarding traumatic brain injury to cyclist when hit by car, injury to construction worker when hit by school bus and injuries allegedly due to municipality's negligent use of equipment
• Education claims for failure to accommodate students and failure to prevent or protect from student bullying, and related to Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)
• Negligence action against King County Department of Juvenile and Adult Detention for failure to prevent inmate from attacking plaintiff (affirmed, Scott v. King County, 22 Wn. App. 2d 1066 (2022))
• Lawsuit alleging sheriff’s office negligence during eviction, resulting in failure to prevent murder of apartment personnel
• Lawsuit alleging police officers’ unlawful use of force against tribal member
• As counsel, claims for improper law enforcement acts and section 1983 violations
• Product Liability
• Claims pre and post Washington Product Liability Act of 1981 (WPLA), including issues of federal preemption, government specifications and choice of law
• Claims of defective design, defective construction, unsafe products, failure of warning and instructions, and manufacturer and reseller liability
• Trial on plaintiff's claims that air conditioner that fell from upstairs window was defective and caused her quadriplegia
• Four-week trial on claims that mask did not protect from asbestos and caused mesothelioma
• Professional Liability
• Claims of legal malpractice and medical malpractice, including issues of hospital negligence and alleged agency relationship between hospital and providers
• Trial regarding partial leg amputation allegedly due to medical malpractice
• Class action legal malpractice claim alleging that large personal injury firm defrauded clients
• Legal malpractice claim that attorney negligently advised client of immigration consequences of guilty plea
• Bench trial on developer’s claim that title officer and title examiner committed malpractice in handling and drafting commercial title policy
• Claims regarding deficient accounting and tax services
• Counsel for U.S. Army physician in proceedings that threatened his medical license
• Real Estate & Real Property
• Claims involving commercial landlord and tenants, homeowners associations (HOA), eminent domain, inverse condemnation, unconstitutional takings, adverse possession, tenancies in common, code and zoning violations, nonconforming uses, right of way, permits, site and building inspections, surveys, setbacks, boundaries, lot lines, plats, trespass, waste and loss of view
• Disputes involving environmental regulations, critical areas, riparian rights, shoreline review, wetlands, levies, buffer zones, mitigation, fish and wildlife, and environmental impact statements
• As counsel, issues of hazardous waste and Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA)
• Real estate purchase and sale agreements, easements, covenants, restrictions, title insurance, financing, mortgages, foreclosure and guarantors
• Claims and appeals under the Land Use Petition Act (LUPA), State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), Seattle Environmentally Critical Areas (ECA) Code and Administrative Procedures Act (APA)
• Bench trial regarding value of warehouse space and import/export business after county condemned parcel
• Bench trial on claims that real estate developer committed timber trespass and waste and caused loss of property value
• Landlord association’s constitutional challenge to city’s tenant protections (affirmed, Rental Housing Ass’n of Wash. v. City of Burien, 23 Wn. App. 2d 1015 (2022))
• Bench decision construing property deed and quieting title (affirmed, Wiggans v. Wiggans-Crawford, 4 Wn. App. 2d 1030 (2018))
• Securities
• Claims of fraud, failure to register, unauthorized transactions and violations of the Securities Act of Washington
• As counsel, claims under the federal Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including Rule 10b-5 violations
• As counsel, represented index fund executive in lawsuit about employer’s misrepresentations of stock value
• As counsel, private placements under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Regulation D, Rule 504 and Rule 506, including issues related to exemptions and offerings to accredited investors and sophisticated investors
• As counsel, prepared private-placement memoranda and blue sky filings

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Washington State Bar Association
• Federal Bar Association, Western District of Washington
• King County Bar Association
• Mediating the Litigated Case, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law (40 hours)
• National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)

Background and Education

• Judge, King County Superior Court, 2014–2024
• Officer, United States Coast Guard (Reserve), 2006–2018
• Attorney; Ellis, Li & McKinstry PLLC; Seattle; 1998–2013
• J.D., University of Texas School of Law, 1998
• B.A., Abilene Christian University, 1995