Lawyers for Oso landslide victims say state committed fraud

SEATTLE (AP) — Attorneys for victims and family members in the deadly 2014 Oso landslide have accused state lawyers of orchestrating a fraud to hide the truth by deleting emails between defense expert witnesses.

In a motion filed Tuesday, the attorneys say the state has spent over $3 million in taxpayer dollars developing the opinions of its expert team. They claim that undertaking, however, was started with a pact approved by the attorney general to destroy emails and deceive about what they were doing.

The Seattle Times reports (http://goo.gl/2klWte ) the attorney general's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The attorneys for the victims are requesting the judge impose sanctions on the state.

The civil lawsuit set for trial this fall is expected to involve one of the largest tort claims in Washington history with the state, as well as Snohomish County and Grandy Lake Forest Associates as defendants.