Opinion ID: 1161100
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reid v. Pierce County

Text: Karen Reid is the niece of, now deceased, former Governor Dixie Lee Ray. [1] The Reid complaint alleges that for a period of at least 10 years employees of the Pierce County Medical Examiner's office appropriated autopsy photographs of corpses, showing them at cocktail parties and using them to create personal scrapbooks. Specifically, the Reids allege photographs of former Governor Ray's corpse were personally possessed by Bruell, an employee of the Medical Examiner's office. The Reids became aware of the appropriation and use of the autopsy photographs through the press. Certain newspapers reported that attorneys for the County used Bruell's appropriation of autopsy photographs against him to obtain a more favorable settlement for the County in an employment discrimination suit. The Reid complaint alleges the appropriation and use of the autopsy photographs of former Governor Ray subjects the County to liability for tort of outrage, common law invasion of privacy, and violates the Plaintiffs' state and federal constitutional right to privacy. The superior court granted the County's CR 12(b)(6) motion for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.