Colorado

Colorado Shooting Suspect to Appear in Court Today

The man accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 others at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater early Friday is scheduled to appear in court today. James Eagan Holmes will appear in court for an advisement, a short hearing to inform the suspect that he is being held on murder…

Jul 23, 2012 2:24 PM CDT

Feds Say ‘Second Chair’ Lawyer Paid $5K Gave OK Murder Defense Though Lead ‘Counsel’ Was a Fake

One might think Gwen Bergman has a slam-dunk argument that she was not adequately represented by legal counsel during a federal murder-for-hire trial that resulted in a conviction and a seven-year stint in jail. The “lawyer” her family paid $70,000 to represent her, Howard O. Kieffer, never went to law…

May 9, 2012 5:56 PM CDT

Lawyer Loses Malpractice Insurance Because She Represents Medical Pot Clients

A Denver lawyer says her malpractice insurer won’t renew her coverage because it considers her medical marijuana clients to be high risk. The Hanover Insurance Group notified Ann Toney last month that her practice does not meet underwriting guidelines, the Denver Post reports. Seventy percent of her practice involves DUI…

May 8, 2012 12:26 PM CDT

University of Denver Law Verifies 6 Percent Employment Rate Boost with Outside Audit

As scrutiny over law school statistics intensifies for law schools across the nation, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law has called on an independent team of auditors to vet the school’s findings and attest for their reliability. The school recently reported that 96.6 of job-seeking 2011 grads were…

Apr 24, 2012 9:10 PM CDT

Affidavit: Man Awaiting Sentencing Told Jail Staff of God’s Order to Kill Judge, Now Faces New Case

A man awaiting sentencing on Colorado burglary and theft charges has caught a new case after allegedly telling jail staff that he had an assault rifle and directions from God to kill the judge. Justin Townsel is now jailed in lieu of $150,000 bond on a new felony retaliation charge…

Apr 19, 2012 7:54 PM CDT

$65K Award in Dog’s Demise May Be Largest Ever in Colo. for Death of Pet

An award of over $65,000 to a Denver woman whose pet dog, Ruthie, was let out of her home by a cleaning service last year and got hit by a car, may be the largest verdict ever in Colorado for the death of a pet. Plaintiff Robin Lohre said she…

Apr 19, 2012 7:35 PM CDT

Cop Clocked at 143 Shouldn’t Be Fired Over DUI and Speeding Case, Lawyer Argues

A Denver police officer pulled over and ticketed by the Colorado State Patrol two years ago after being reportedly being clocked speeding at 143 mph in a 55 mph zone is fighting his firing in an administrative hearing before a city Civil Service Commission panel. An attorney for the Denver…

Apr 3, 2012 11:01 PM CDT

Woman Charged After On-Air Bragging of Ploy to Avoid Jury Duty; Judge Was a Listener

A woman who called a radio show to brag about a ploy to avoid jury duty by feigning mental instability is now facing felony charges. Susan Cole was accused of perjury and attempting to influence a public servant after the Denver judge who excused her from jury duty heard her…

Mar 22, 2012 1:58 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Worked at Colo.‘s Biggest Foreclosure Firm Says Legal Process Is Based on ‘Blind Faith’

A lawyer who formerly worked at Colorado’s biggest foreclosure law firm says attorneys often filed foreclosure papers without ever seeing the original documents, probably resulting in foreclosure judgments in cases in which the plaintiff lenders actually had no legal right to the homes they obtained. Keith Gantenbein, 31, is expected…

Mar 13, 2012 5:55 PM CDT

Thanks to Jailhouse Yoga, Defendant Says He Has Walked Away From Medical Marijuana

Once a man who admittedly lived life in a haze of marijuana, a defendant who says he turned his life around in a Colorado jail through the practice of yoga over a three-month period has persuaded a judge to give him a significant sentencing break. Although he was already on…

Mar 6, 2012 10:50 PM CST

Suspended Lawyer Who Wrote ‘Bulletproof Asset Protection’ Pleads Guilty in Tax Case, Must Pay $40M

A suspended Colorado lawyer who authored the book Bulletproof Asset Protection pleaded guilty in federal court in Las Vegas on Monday to multiple tax-related charges. William S. Reed, 61, of Santa Barbara, Calif., was indicted in July, along with two other defendants, on accusations he participated in a business scheme…

Feb 15, 2012 6:01 PM CST

Citing Environmental Concerns, Denver Law Clinic Helps Sue to Stop Christo ‘Over the River’ Project

Denver law students representing a group concerned about canyonland drilling necessary to anchor a massive Christo public art installation “Over the River” are suing to stop the project. Christo plans to stretch fabric over the Arkansas River for two weeks in August 2014, an effort that critics who’ve dubbed themselves…

Feb 2, 2012 11:40 AM CST

After Bryan Cave Merger, a Significant Number of Holme Roberts Partners Are Now Counsel

After its merger with St. Louis-based Bryan Cave, about 18 of the partners from Denver’s revered Holme Roberts & Owen are now listed as counsel on the firm’s attorney roster, the Denver Business Journal reports. But only a “handful” of these changes among the more than 80 partners who came…

Jan 30, 2012 10:40 PM CST

Judge Orders Mortgage Fraud Defendant to Reveal Encrypted Contents of Laptop

A federal judge in Colorado has ordered a woman accused of mortgage fraud to produce the encrypted contents on her laptop. U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn said the Fifth Amendment is not implicated by his order, report the MSNBC.com blog Technolog, the Wired blog Threat Level and CNet. Blackburn cited…

Jan 24, 2012 1:27 PM CST

Disbarred Ex-DA Who Pressured Workers in His Office for Sex Gets 1 Year, Apologizes for ‘Flirting’

A former Colorado district attorney who was disbarred last month over his mistreatment of multiple women was sentenced today to one year in prison after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to the sexual demands he made on three women working in his office. Former Montrose County DA Myrl Serra…

Jan 19, 2012 10:08 PM CST