The head of the labor union for Colorado Springs police officers claims that her fall at the El Paso County jail in 2024 was a result of a building code violation, a newly filed lawsuit obtained by The Gazette shows. 

The El Paso County jail, sheriff, county commissioners and others are named as defendants in the suit brought by Sherryl Dillon, the executive director of the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association since 2015, who suffered a fracture after tripping over a mat at the jail, the complaint alleges.

Dillon was there to pick up her husband, Larry, who was released from custody after prosecutors dropped the misdemeanor charges against him, according to the lawsuit.

When Dillon left the jail sometime after arriving around 9:30 p.m. on May 4, 2024, she allegedly tripped while leaving through an exterior door onto a concrete walkway, fracturing her knee joint.

The next day, she sought medical attention at a hospital and was released with crutches because she was not properly diagnosed with a fracture, according to the lawsuit. When she exited the hospital, she fell again and fractured her kneecap.

Under Colorado law, injuries caused while rendering aid with “normal efforts” can still be under the civil responsibility of the original actor.

The lawsuit cites two parts of the Pikes Peak Regional Building code that prohibit the use of a rolled-up mat to prop open a door and describe unauthorized door props as “unlawful maintenance.”

Nowhere in the 133-page document does it state “unlawful maintenance” verbatim, nor does it appear to explicitly prohibit rolled-up mats. A spokesperson with the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department could not confirm to The Gazette that the code has that phrase.

The other citation for the prohibition of the mat in the lawsuit is under the 2021 International Building Code and correctly asserts the PPRBD has adopted it. However, the spokesperson said it is only applicable during work that is permitted or requires a permit, which the lawsuit does not assert.

Instead, Dillon claims a deputy told her to wait before exiting through the doors while a janitor cleaned the area. When she eventually walked through the doors after an unnoted period of time, she tripped over the mat propping open the door.

It is unclear whether there was any other work that was permitted or required a permit at the time of Dillon’s alleged fall that would invoke the PPRBD rule.

A spokesperson for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office declined a request for comment about the lawsuit, saying the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

An El Paso County judge is set to review Dillon’s personal injury lawsuit on June 12. Colorado court records show that this is her first lawsuit against a law enforcement entity.

There was no explanation in the lawsuit on why or when the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office moved to dismiss the charges against Dillon’s husband, who was suffering from health issues at the time. No criminal cases appear in Colorado court records for him.

Dillon’s husband died several months after his release from jail, according to his obituary.