Colorado

Mistakenly released inmate won’t have to serve remaining 90 years, judge rules

An inmate mistakenly released from prison in 2008 won’t have to serve the rest of his 98-year sentence, a Colorado judge has ruled. Chief District Judge Carlos Samour Jr. of Arapahoe County ruled Tuesday that it would be “draconian” and a “manifest injustice” to require Rene Lima-Marin to remain in…

May 17, 2017 12:42 PM CDT

Former prostitute wins $1.7M verdict against lawyer for privacy invasion

Jurors in Denver have awarded a woman $1.7 million in damages in her privacy invasion suit against a Colorado lawyer who exposed her secret life as a prostitute. Suspended lawyer Sean Saxon was found liable for revealing Jerene Dildine’s work to her family members and classmates, CBS 4 reports. Dildine…

May 16, 2017 10:57 AM CDT

Racially discriminating statements in jury rooms are subject to scrutiny

A case about racial bias in the jury room would seem to have all the makings of a provocative and headline-grabbing decision. However, Peña-Rodriguez v. Colorado, a case containing just such bias, hovered a bit below the radar, even during this relatively low-key U.S. Supreme Court term.

May 1, 2017 2:00 AM CDT

Court fees and restitution should be returned when criminal convictions are overturned, SCOTUS rules

When a criminal conviction is invalidated on appeal, the state is obligated to refund fees, court costs and restitution paid by the defendant, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Wednesday. The Colorado case examines the state’s statute regarding compensation for the exonerated, which allows the retention of conviction-related assessments until the…

Apr 19, 2017 12:50 PM CDT

Federal judge goes out on a ‘lonely limb’ and blocks Colorado town’s ban on topless women

A federal judge in Denver has blocked enforcement of a Fort Collins ordinance that bars women, but not men, from exposing their breasts in public. U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson issued a preliminary injunction in a Feb. 22 order, report the Associated Press, USA Today and the Denver Post.…

Feb 23, 2017 10:28 AM CST

Trial ends for foreclosure law firm accused of conspiring to inflate prices

A lawyer for the state of Colorado argued last week that Colorado’s largest foreclosure law firm conspired with competitors and related businesses to fix prices and maximize profits. The Denver-based Castle Law Group, along with the husband and wife team who ran it, are facing a civil suit that claims…

Feb 2, 2017 7:00 AM CST

Single-payer health initiative goes down in defeat in Colorado

Voters in Colorado overwhelmingly rejected a proposed law that would have established a single-payer health care system in the state. On Tuesday, the proposed Amendment 69, or “ColoradoCare,” lost in a landslide at the polls. According to The Denver Post, nearly 80 percent of voters voted against the measure. The…

Nov 9, 2016 2:00 PM CST

Federal judge allows suit challenging female topless ban as equal protection violation

A federal judge in Denver is allowing a group called Free the Nipple to pursue their lawsuit challenging a Fort Collins ban on women exposing their breasts in public. U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson allowed the group and two of its members to sue for alleged violations of the…

Oct 21, 2016 10:28 AM CDT

EEOC sues University of Denver law school for alleged pay discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Friday filed a lawsuit for alleged pay discrimination against the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. The suit says the average salary of full-time female professors at the law school is about $20,000 less than that of full-time male professors, the Denver Post…

Oct 3, 2016 9:55 AM CDT

Are theater massacre survivors on the hook for court costs in failed federal suit? No ruling yet

Updated: Settlement negotiations in a federal lawsuit filed by victims’ relatives and survivors of the Colorado theater massacre broke down earlier this year despite fears that the plaintiffs would be on the hook for court costs. But so far no motion for payment has been filed by the defendant theater…

Sep 1, 2016 3:10 PM CDT

Judge imposes $1.8M in penalties for misleading law firm charges in more than 2,000 foreclosures

A Denver judge is imposing $1.8 million in penalties for two law firms’ false and misleading charges on title insurance in 2,291 foreclosures. Judge Shelley Gilman found that lawyer Robert Hopp, his law firms and title companies violated Colorado debt-collection and consumer protection laws, report the Denver Post, the Denver…

Aug 8, 2016 9:30 AM CDT

Federal judge considers suit seeking gender-neutral passport

A passport applicant who identifies as neither male nor female is asking a federal judge to direct the State Department to issue a gender-neutral passport. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson of Denver appeared to side with the plaintiff, Dana Zzyym, the Associated Press reports. ZZyym was denied…

Jul 22, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Banning religious schools from voucher program is not discrimination, federal judge rules

Religious schools should not be included in a Colorado voucher program, a federal judge ruled Thursday, although she admitted that the area of law was “extremely unsettled.” According to the Denver Post, out of 23 schools in the original Douglas County School District voucher program unveiled in 2011, 17 had…

Jun 10, 2016 3:20 PM CDT

Ski resorts have no liability for avalanches, Colorado Supreme Court rules

Ski resorts in Colorado are protected from liability for avalanches because they are an inherent risk of skiing, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. The 5-2 decision is a loss for Salyndra Fleury, whose husband died in a January 2012 avalanche at the Winter Park ski area, report the…

Jun 2, 2016 2:40 PM CDT

New Mexico sues EPA, seeking cleanup of toxic mine spill and damages

Ordinarily, when there’s a dispute about claimed environmental damage due to corporate operations, it’s the Environmental Protection Agency that sues to get it cleaned up. But a lawsuit filed Monday by the state of New Mexico in federal court in Albuquerque names the EPA as a defendant, along with an…

May 24, 2016 1:00 PM CDT