SEATTLE, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Impresa Legal Group, in partnership with local counsel Edward Chung, Chung, Malhas & Mantel, PLLC, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Monte Pringle and others against Evan Sutton, Hannah Krieg, Hannah Saunders, Southend Indivisible Inc., Seattle Indivisible, The Proteus Fund, and The Open Society Foundation, alleging that defendants conspired to execute a foreign-funded campaign to obstruct data center development in the Seattle area, costing workers their jobs and subjecting them and their families to harassment, threats and financial harm.

The lawsuit, filed today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges defendants spearheaded numerous in-person protest events involving hundreds of individuals and encouraged others to harass and interfere with the data center operations throughout Washington State.

The complaint alleges that defendants' scheme is not about free speech or protest but is a calculated effort of harassment and intimidation designed to make war on an industry through fear. The campaign involved the deliberate amplification of disinformation and extreme rhetoric targeting employees, causing those workers to fear not only the loss of their livelihoods but physical harm to themselves and their families.

The complaint further alleges that defendants — individually and through their organizations — received funding originating from international sources, including the People's Republic of China, funneled through U.S.-based non-profit organizations including Proteus Fund, Inc. and The Open Society Foundation.  

As the complaint alleges, the defendants' protests were funded by "hostile foreign nation-states that seek to interfere with, and ultimately decimate, U.S. technology and security interests." 

Among those impacted is plaintiff Monte Pringle, a licensed electrician and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 191, who lost multiple long-term work opportunities over the past two years as a direct result of defendants' campaign, resulting in significant financial harm.

Defendants' campaign reached a critical milestone on June 9, 2026, when the Seattle City Council voted 9-0 to adopt a one-year freeze on any new data center developments — a direct blow to plaintiffs' employment opportunities that the complaint characterizes as merely the first step in defendants' ongoing scheme to destroy the U.S. data center and technology industry.

The lawsuit asserts claims for tortious interference with contractual relationship, civil conspiracy, and aiding and abetting, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

Other individuals in Washington State who have been harmed by or suffered damage from these coordinated campaigns and malicious interference activities are encouraged to join the class.

About Impresa: Impresa Legal Group is a boutique law firm founded by seasoned legal practitioners with years of experience who share the goal of providing practical legal solutions to the problems its clients face.  The firm advises national and international clients in the areas of litigation, government contracts, and corporate transactions. For more information please visit impresalegal.com or email info@impresalegal.com 

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SOURCE Impresa Legal Group