Tag: judge s. kato crews
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Federal judge dismisses claim of falsified testimony against El Paso County coroner employee
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit from a man who was tried and acquitted of his girlfriend’s 2021 murder, and who subsequently accused a witness of fabricating evidence to make him seem guilty. Joseph Hunnicutt stood trial twice in El Paso County for the killing of Alison Cantrell. At the first trial in…
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Federal judge dismisses challenge to prison policy forbidding assistance with certain legal claims
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a formerly incarcerated man’s challenge to Colorado’s prison policy that forbids the use of library resources for the pursuit of certain claims generally deemed frivolous. Robert Wayne Robinson sued the law librarian at the Buena Vista Correctional Facility and the former director of the Colorado Department of Corrections. He…
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Federal judge declines to dismiss excessive force claim against Denver
A federal judge last week declined to dismiss Denver from an excessive force lawsuit, finding the plaintiff had sufficiently alleged the city’s lack of training was behind an officer’s decision to slam him head-first into the ground. Elijah Smith alleged he was among the crowd of people in Lower Downtown celebrating the Denver Nuggets’ NBA…
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Federal judge dismisses bulk of claims against UCCS, employees over instructor’s alleged predatory behavior
A federal judge on Monday dismissed several claims by a former University of Colorado Springs student pertaining to one professor’s alleged sexual misconduct towards her. Kristen Gearhart filed suit in April 2024 against the university, its chancellor, multiple employees and mathematics Prof. Mark Tomforde. She alleged Tomforde had a history of misconduct toward women at…
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Judge dismisses constitutional claim against detective despite ‘eyebrow-raising’ investigation into motel
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a Greenwood Village motel operator’s constitutional rights claim against a detective who allegedly singled out the establishment for a criminal investigation based on its willingness to house people with disabilities long-term. Zarrin Hospitality Group, Inc. is the operator of a Motel 6 at 9201 E. Arapahoe Road. Its owner…
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Federal judge, for now, declines to block Colorado’s gas stove disclosure law
A federal judge on Monday declined to block a 2025 Colorado law requiring health disclosures on new gas-fueled stoves, instead suggesting the state work with the challengers to voluntarily halt enforcement in the near-term. In June, Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 1161 into law, which requires retailers of gas stoves to affix a “yellow…
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Federal judge allows Aurora protest leader to sue city, detective over prosecution
A federal judge last week declined to dismiss a malicious prosecution lawsuit against the city of Aurora and one of its detectives, brought by a 2020 protest leader who alleged there was no probable cause to arrest her. Eliza Lucero was involved in a protest outside an Aurora Police Department station in July 2020. She…
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2 federal judges pitch lawyers on benefits of handing cases over to magistrate judges
Two of Colorado’s federal district judges, speaking on Tuesday about why lawyers should consent to having magistrate judges handle more cases, said they were disturbed that barely more than a dozen attorneys showed up. “We’re concerned even about this turnout for two (district) judges speaking,” said U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney at a…
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‘An American success story’: Cyrus Chung ceremonially sworn in as federal magistrate judge
Cyrus Y. Chung’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Korea, and they had a vision about which paths would offer the surest bet for a good life. “Asian immigrant parents, chasing a better life, think themselves very generous because they offer their kids three whole career options: You can be a doctor, you can be…
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Federal judge says he will not recuse from trans athlete case over courtroom pronoun policy
U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews on Monday denied a request that he recuse himself from a lawsuit about transgender athletes’ participation, rejecting the argument that his courtroom protocols on the use of pronouns meant he had “prejudged” the case. Last week, attorneys challenging a policy of the Colorado Springs-based Mountain West Conference alleged they…