Colorado

National labor firm raids Littler and Ogletree, opens new offices in Denver and New York

Atlanta-based Constangy Brooks & Smith has raided two well-known labor and employment firms and some BigLaw competitors, gaining 12 attorneys, two new offices and an additional name partner in the process. Don Prophete, who practices in Kansas City, will be the new name on the marquee for the nearly 160-attorney…

Mar 5, 2015 1:50 PM CST

Innocent man jailed 2 months in rape case; DA blames DNA label ‘clerical error’

An innocent man was charged and jailed for two months in a sexual assault case because of a “clerical error” in labeling a DNA sample from a rape kit, the Colorado district attorney’s office in charge of prosecuting the case says. However, “the district attorney wants to make clear that…

Feb 6, 2015 11:20 AM CST

Meltdown wins juror prospect a nix in Batman movie murders; juror axed in Hernandez case for chatter

Some prospective jurors want to serve in high-profile murder cases and others definitely do not. A woman in the latter group was initially told Tuesday that she would have to return to court to complete a juror questionnaire in the Colorado movie-theater massacre case against James Holmes despite her claim…

Feb 4, 2015 4:20 PM CST

Baker who would not decorate a cake with anti-gay slurs faces civil rights complaint

Colorado officials are again dealing with a baker refusing a customer’s request for a cake having to do with same-sex relationships, but with a different twist. A suburban Denver man has complained that by not agreeing to decorate a cake with anti-gay slurs and images, a baker engaged in religious…

Jan 22, 2015 1:00 PM CST

Jury selection begins in movie theater massacre trial

Jury selection began Tuesday in the capital murder trial of James Holmes, 27, who is accused of fatally shooting a dozen people and injuring 70 more in a July 20, 2012 massacre at a Colorado theater at which a new Batman movie was being shown. Holmes has pleaded not guilty…

Jan 20, 2015 2:45 PM CST

Homemade explosive detonated near NAACP office in Colorado

An improvised explosive device that apparently did not fully go off exploded against the exterior wall of a building housing the offices of the NAACP in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Tuesday the Denver Post reports. One witness described the explosion as sounding like a shotgun blast, the Colorado Springs Gazette…

Jan 7, 2015 4:00 PM CST

Jailed 12 days, man proves his mistaken arrest by dropping pants in court; $88K settlement proposed

After successfully interviewing for a dream job at a Las Vegas hotel in 2010, Christian Robinson began a nightmare journey through the criminal justice system. A background check found there was a warrant for his arrest in a felony drug case in Colorado, his home state. So Robinson took a…

Jan 6, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Parents of man charged with slaying 12 at Batman movie premiere plead for life-sentence plea bargain

As a trial looms next month for accused Colorado movie-theater massacre suspect James Holmes and some 9,000 jury summonses are in the process of being mailed out, his parents publicly pleaded Friday for a plea deal that would sentence him to a life term. “He is a human being gripped…

Dec 19, 2014 5:35 PM CST

Former in-house patent lawyer admits $5M billing scheme, will reimburse Hunter Douglas

Sued in federal court in Denver, a former lead in-house patent lawyer for Hunter Douglas Inc. has admitted a billing scheme that diverted more than $5 million of company funds to a patent-search firm he secretly controlled and promised to repay the money. Jason Throne, 53, said in court papers…

Dec 8, 2014 5:05 PM CST

Denver to pay $5K to $52K to settle mistaken-arrest cases blamed on ‘recklessly sloppy police work’

The Denver City Council agreed Monday to pay $337,250 to settle federal civil rights litigation brought by three men who were arrested and jailed after being mistaken for someone else. Most of the money will got to the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, which pursued the Denver case on…

Dec 2, 2014 4:30 PM CST

Defense asks judge to require prosecution to try all 54 charges against immigration lawyer

A prosecution motion to dismiss most of the 54 charges against a Colorado immigration lawyer on the eve of trial is a transparent effort to hold charges in reserve for a second prosecution if the first doesn’t result in a conviction, the defense argued Wednesday. Defendant Emily Cohen is accused…

Nov 26, 2014 3:30 PM CST

Man accused of pointing banana at sheriff’s deputies faces felony menacing case

Confronted by a man seemingly pointing a yellow firearm at them, a Colorado lawman was drawing his service weapon when his partner shouted “It’s a banana!” That saved Nathan Rolf Channing from potential life-threatening injury, but he is now facing a felony menacing charge concerning the incident with Mesa County…

Nov 26, 2014 9:55 AM CST

Hospital chain says job applicants who test positive for ‘tobacco use’ won’t be hired

A hospital chain headquartered in Colorado has announced a plan to test job applicants for tobacco. Those who test positive for “tobacco use” won’t be hired, but can re-apply after 90 days. The testing by Centura Health will take place as part of pre-employment screening, once job offers are made,…

Nov 20, 2014 1:45 PM CST

Jury awards record $4.65M in death of homeless street preacher restrained by sheriff’s deputies

An all-white federal court jury in Colorado awarded $4.65 million Tuesday in the 2010 death of a homeless black street preacher who was being restrained by Denver sheriff’s deputies at the city’s downtown jail. The death of Marvin Booker, 56, was ruled a homicide, although no one has been charged.…

Oct 14, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Suit targets websites that sold ammunition and tear gas to theater shooting suspect

The parents of a woman killed in the July 2012 movie theater shooting in Colorado have filed a lawsuit against the websites that they say sold ammunition, tear gas and body armor to the man charged in the crime. Jessica Ghawi, a 24-year-old aspiring sports journalist, was among a dozen…

Sep 18, 2014 6:40 AM CDT