From the PI.Com:

The attorney for the owners of troubled Aurora Avenue North motels and their related corporations have filed a motion to dismiss tax-related charges, alleging "prosecutorial vindictiveness" and saying the possible violations were minimal.

In a court response, Assistant City Attorney Ed McKenna said the charges fit under city law and there's no basis for dismissal based upon a mere allegation of prosecutorial vindictiveness.

Last summer, the City Attorney's Office filed 180 criminal charges for various tax violations against the motel operators, Dean and Jill Inman, and the corporations representing their five motels: the Wallingford Inn, Fremont Inn, Seattle Motor Inn, Italia Motel and Isabella Motel.

The Seattle Motor Inn -- a place that had long been an area of criminal activity, according to police records -- closed in December and the site remains vacant.

A jury trial is scheduled for later this month, though its possible the cases could be resolved short of a trial.