The city of Sunnyside will compensate residents after its police officers ordered them to leave or be removed from their homes without notice or due process under a settlement with the Washington Attorney General’s Office.  

The consent decree, approved by Yakima County Superior Court, ends more than five years of litigation between state justice officials representing residents and the city, according to a release.   

“This resolution will let us provide prompt and meaningful compensation to Sunnyside residents who were ordered to leave or be removed from their homes for no lawful reason,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “The government denied these people due process and protection from discrimination. I’m proud of my team’s work on the residents’ behalf.”  

The Sunnyside City Council approved the settlement in early January, just days before the case was to go to trial. Sunnyside officials said in a statement that the $1.1 million settlement will paid by the city’s risk pool.  

“While the city was confident in its arguments at trial, the Council determined resolution was in the city’s best interest and looks forward to moving forward in 2026,” the city said in a statement.  

The case stems from the city’s Crime Free Rental Housing Program, which led to Sunnyside police ordering some residents, many of them Latine, families with children or households led by women, to leave their homes.   

“As a result of this police misconduct, many of these families became homeless, were separated from their children, or faced long periods of housing instability that caused severe, life-destabilizing harm,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement.  

City councilmembers repealed the program in July 2025 and the consent decree bars the city from implementing any similar program in the future.  

In addition to providing financial compensation to impacted residents, the consent decree also requires the city to:  

• Implement a policy, approved by the attorney general, that prohibits city police or other city officials from unlawfully removing residents from their homes or retaliating against them.  
• Provide training for three years via a third-party to all city employees and officials to provide education on due process under the state and federal constitutions.  
• Provide compliance reports to the attorney general for the next three years regarding fulfillment of training obligations and any complaints against city police or employees for unlawfully removing someone from their home.