Tag: retaliation
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Federal judge sides with Mesa County school district in ex-student’s First Amendment claims
A federal judge concluded last week that Mesa County Valley School District 51 and three of its administrators did not violate the First Amendment rights of a former student when they imposed minor discipline in response to disruptive behavior. In the landmark 1969 decision of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the U.S. Supreme Court…
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Colorado Supreme Court to examine whether corporations can be liable for ‘felonious killing’
The Colorado Supreme Court recently announced that it will determine whether corporations can be liable for a “felonious killing,” meaning there is no limit to the damages they might pay for pain and suffering after causing a wrongful death. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to take a case on appeal.…
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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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Federal judge green-lights trial for ex-Rio Grande County sheriff employee’s hostile work environment claims
A federal judge on Monday found a former Rio Grande County sheriff’s dispatcher had not shown she was subjected to disability discrimination or was retaliated against, but that a jury would need to decide whether she experienced a hostile work environment based on her sex and ancestry. Then-Sheriff Don McDonald fired Lauren N. Trujillo in…
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Federal judge sides with CU in former student’s retaliation lawsuit
A federal judge concluded last month that a former University of Colorado medical student failed to establish the school unlawfully retaliated against her, as the evidence instead showed faculty raised numerous concerns about her conduct over the years. Mindy Szeto was enrolled in CU’s School of Medicine between 2014 and 2020, through a program combining…
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Judicial Department paid $155,000 in settlements from 2 judges’ misconduct
The Judicial Department paid more than $155,000 to former employees and their attorneys in connection with the misconduct of two trial judges who the Colorado Supreme Court publicly disciplined in 2024. Last May, the Supreme Court censured former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione for failing to disclose an intimate relationship with a staff…
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Denver police sergeant to face civil trial over alleged First Amendment retaliation, judge rules
A federal judge ruled last month that a jury will evaluate whether a Denver police officer violated a man’s First Amendment rights by knocking his cell phone onto the ground in retaliation for video recording. Brian Loma was recording the city’s operation to dismantle a homeless encampment in November 2020 when he began yelling at…
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Federal judge sides with Teller County sheriff in whistleblower lawsuit
A federal judge concluded last month that a whistleblower lawsuit could not succeed against Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, nor could the related claims of retaliation lodged by a former commander in the office. Ronald “Greg” Couch worked for the sheriff’s office between 2014 and 2021. In his telling, his relationship with Mikesell began to…
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Federal judge sides with Denver Health in ex-paramedic’s discrimination lawsuit
A federal judge concluded last month that evidence showed a former Denver Health paramedic was not fired because of his sexual orientation, as he alleged, but because his employer believed he exhibited poor judgment and resisted efforts to coach him professionally. Jordan Christensen filed suit under federal and state civil rights law asserting unwelcome treatment…
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Judge allows ex-Aurora VA doc to proceed with employment discrimination case
A federal judge last month permitted a former anesthesiologist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Colorado to proceed with some of her employment discrimination claims, even though a different judge previously found the VA was justified in removing her. Elizabeth Schacht worked for the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora between 2015 and…