Judge Orders Tim Eyman To Sell House To Help Pay Fines

OLYMPIA, WA — A bankruptcy judge ordered initiative promoter and anti-tax activist Tim Eyman to sell his portion of his Mukilteo home to help pay off a multimillion-dollar judgment resulting from a 2021 ruling that Eyman knowingly and repeatedly violated Washington campaign finance laws.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the latest development Friday after Eyman's ex-wife agreed to purchase his share of the home for $906,484, which will go toward paying more than $5.6 million of the remaining judgment, interest, and other debtors. The resolution amount adds to the nearly $539,000 Eyman has paid to date, Ferguson's office said.

The civil penalty stems from a Thurston County judge's 2021 ruling that Eyman purposely and illegally concealed hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions in his personal accounts. The state Public Disclosure Commission said there was also evidence Eyman engaged in a "kick-back scheme." The judge ordered Eyman to pay $2.6 million in civil penalties and $2.9 million in state costs. Eyman is also barred from controlling the finances of any future political committee.

"I’ve said everything there is to say about Tim Eyman’s outrageous and illegal conduct,” Ferguson said in a statement Friday. "That said, I always enjoy reading how he spins his latest setback to his supporters. Eyman will never take accountability for his actions, because any acknowledgment of wrongdoing would undermine his attempts to pry additional dollars out of his supporters. Consequently, he will continue to falsely portray himself as the victim while losing where it matters — in court."