Judge grants Miles Hudson 'evidentiary' hearing in September

Belltown Hellcat in court for 2nd day in a row

Miles Hudson was back in Seattle Municipal Court on Tuesday to try and convince the court to vacate the default judgment issued to him on June 18 for $83,619.

SEATTLE - After posting bond and bailing out of jail Tuesday morning, after Monday's criminal court hearing, Miles Hudson — known as the "Belltown Hellcat" — was back in Seattle Municipal Court to try and convince the court to vacate the default judgment issued to him on June 18 for $83,619.97.

Tuesday's hearing was before Judge Faye Chess, the same judge who issued the initial ruling. Hudson's primary argument centered on claims of improper service, asserting that he was never correctly notified of the legal proceedings against him since the process server's description of him exceeded his current weight by nearly 60 pounds, suggesting they served the wrong person.

Hudson, appearing in a suit and blue surgical mask, was represented by attorney Joshua Brumley. In a notable moment, Brumley requested that his interns stand between the courtroom camera and himself to avoid being filmed by TV crews, a request granted by Chess.

'Belltown Hellcat' arrested at Seattle court hearing, banned from Instagram

Miles Hudson, widely known as the "Belltown Hellcat", was taken into custody at a Seattle court hearing Monday less than a week after he seemed to make a mockery of the city’s justice system.

The city presented a supplemental declaration related to comments Hudson allegedly made on social media over the weekend regarding the case. Despite the defense’s objection to the late filing, Judge Chess allowed it, citing the recent nature of the comments.

Due to ongoing issues with the city's records portal, the specifics of this declaration are unavailable.

The defense began by reiterating arguments from their original filing, with Brumley extensively discussing whether an email from Hudson's mother constituted an appearance and whether she should have been served instead of Hudson. He also mentioned Hudson's age and brain development, suggesting these factors impacted his compliance with city requests.

The city's rebuttal contended that the defense's filings were so unclear they amounted to perjury. The city also argued that Hudson, not his mother, was responsible for the modifications to the car in question, as evidenced by his social media posts.

The city proposed an evidentiary hearing if the judge wished to explore the issue further but maintained there was insufficient evidence to warrant setting aside the default judgment.

In his final argument, Brumley read from the process server's declaration, questioning its validity and accusing the server of perjury regarding Hudson's weight. Chess responded by noting Hudson's masked appearance in court previously and his failure to raise these concerns in the original hearing. She also acknowledged that while people can lie about their weight, Hudson's lack of a lawyer at his initial hearing warranted an evidentiary hearing on the service issue.

Brumley requested on Tuesday that Hudson be served again and allowed to negotiate compliance with the city, avoiding a fine he cannot afford. The judge dismissed this suggestion, emphasizing Hudson's responsibility as an adult to face the consequences of his actions.

She then went on to deliver a stern lecture on Hudson's persistent social media activity mocking the court and reiterated that the evidentiary hearing would likely yield little evidence.

"I will just tell you right now, I think the evidence will be very slim to none, but I’m giving Mr. Hudson that opportunity," Chess said.

The defense's request to exclude cameras from future hearings was denied by Chess, who affirmed the public nature of the courtroom and noted Hudson's frequent court appearances.

Hudson is expected to be back in court next month for his ongoing criminal case and civil case.