In two-hour long proceedings that were alternately humorous, tense and bizarre, King County Superior Court Judge Carol Schapira denied fisheries activist Stephen Taufen’s request for a permanent protective order against Bundrant, noting that he failed to prove a pattern of pathological behavior or any intent to continue with the alleged harassment.

Taufen was granted a temporary protective order last week against Bundrant after the two exchanged words at Fish Expo Seattle on Nov. 22.

In a downtown Seattle courthouse, the two men – and their respective witnesses - had differing versions of the incident, but both agreed that the exchange did begin with some name calling on the part of Bundrant.