Duty of secretary of state to file—Review of refusal to file.
(1) The secretary of state shall file an entity filing that satisfies this chapter. The duty of the secretary of state under this section is ministerial.
(2) The secretary of state shall record an entity filing on the date and at the time of its receipt. After filing an entity filing, the secretary of state shall deliver to the person that submitted the filing a copy of the filed record with an acknowledgment of the date and time of filing.
(3) If the secretary of state refuses to file an entity filing, the secretary of state not later than fifteen business days after the filing is received, shall:
(a) Return the entity filing or notify the person that submitted the filing of the refusal; and
(b) Provide a brief explanation in a record of the reason for the refusal.
(4) If the secretary of state refuses to file an entity filing, the person that submitted the entity filing may petition the superior court to compel its filing. The entity filing and the explanation of the secretary of state of the refusal to file must be attached to the petition. The court may decide the matter in a summary proceeding.
(5) The filing of or refusal to file an entity filing does not:
(a) Affect the validity or invalidity of the entity filing in whole or in part;
(b) Relate to the correctness or incorrectness of information contained in the entity filing; or
(c) Create a presumption that the information contained in the filing is correct or incorrect.
NOTES:
Effective date—Contingent effective date—2015 c 176: See note following RCW
23.95.100.