Tag: jefferson county
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases on witness retaliation, slip-and-fall
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will decide whether defendants can be convicted of retaliating against a victim or witness when that person has not yet testified and is not scheduled to testify. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. There is currently…
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Colorado justices clarify procedure for defendants to access DNA analyst’s criminal file
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that trial judges may order Jefferson County prosecutors to disclose information related to the criminal prosecution of a DNA analyst accused of misconduct, but defendants seeking those files cannot rely on the order alone to gain access. Yvonne “Missy” Woods is a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA…
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Colorado Supreme Court reverses Jeffco judge’s order for fender-bender plaintiff to undergo mental evaluation
The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that a Jefferson County judge improperly ordered a plaintiff in a personal injury case to sit for a mental health examination after the defendant’s experts suggested her injuries were actually psychological. The justices sided with plaintiff Spring Charlson, whose attorneys warned against allowing defense attorneys to delve into…
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Appeals court clarifies framework for parents’ First Amendment rights in child-naming disputes
Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a Jefferson County judge’s order last week in a long-running dispute about whether two ex-spouses must call their child by his first name or middle name outside the home. In doing so, a three-judge Court of Appeals panel clarified that the standard for restricting a parent’s free speech rights is a…
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JeffCo SWAT member resigns after drinking before Evergreen High School shooting response
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team leader resigned after admitting to being intoxicated during the Evergreen High School shooting in September. Sgt. Anthony Hamilton resigned from the department on Thursday after he admitted that he drank “the better part of a 12 pack” of beer starting around 6:30 a.m. Sept. 10, the day a…
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‘Utterly no precedent’: Federal judge expresses concerns about Jeffco’s early appeal in jail death case
A federal judge shared his concerns on Monday about Jefferson County’s appeal of a routine procedural order in a constitutional rights case, which the plaintiffs argued could spawn appeal-related delays in countless lawsuits against the government. During a hearing, U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews noted he could find no decisions backing up the…
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10th Circuit revives retaliation claim against Jeffco sanitation district
The Denver-based federal appeals court on Monday reinstated an attorney’s retaliation claim against her former employer, a special district based in Lakewood, alleging she was fired for statements she made about board members’ malfeasance. Courts have recognized that public employees’ First Amendment rights are more limited, owing to the need for the government to control…
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Evergreen High School victim confronted shooter, then warned others, family says
When the Evergreen High School shooter began firing and reloading a revolver, one of the two victims he critically wounded confronted the suspect, according to the victim’s family. That bought time for others to escape, the family said, adding even after he was critically wounded, he ran to warn others. “On Sept. 10, inside Evergreen…
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Evergreen High School victim confronted shooter, then warned others, family says
When the Evergreen High School shooter began firing and reloading a revolver, one of the two victims he critically wounded confronted the suspect, according to the victim’s family. That bought time for others to escape, the family said, adding even after he was critically wounded, he ran to warn others. “On Sept. 10, inside Evergreen…
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Evergreen High School students return to school uplifted by community
Evergreen High School students returned to campus on Thursday morning, two weeks after a shooting shocked the small town. Parents stood on the sideline, holding signs of support. More than 100 posters from Colorado cities, spanning from Telluride to Steamboat Springs, lined the school’s halls, sharing condolences and words of encouragement. “It was difficult, for…