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 member, inappropriately discussing his “sexual preferences and habits” in the workplace, and attempting to influence a court case in another jurisdiction.

In its order, the Supreme Court alluded to “two sexual harassment claims filed in connection with Scipione’s conduct, totaling $130,000.”

Colorado Politics obtained the settlement agreements from the judicial branch that identified two employees of the 18th Judicial District who signed releases “to avoid the expense and vagaries of litigation.”

The agreements did not reference Scipione, although the legal counsel for the Office of the State Court Administrator notified disciplinary authorities at the time that the settlements were “in connection with the conduct of former Judge John Scipione.”

In an agreement signed in February 2023 by a former law clerk and Chief Judge Michelle Amico, the judicial branch agreed to pay the employee $65,000. Her lawyers received $20,000.

The second agreement, signed between May and June 2023, awarded a judicial assistant $13,317.76 in disputed wages and an equal amount in compensatory damages. Her attorneys received $18,364.48.

Although the unredacted settlements are subject to disclosure through Colorado’s open records law, Colorado Politics is not naming the employees due to their status as whistleblowers in a judicial disciplinary proceeding.

The law clerk “is a young attorney here in Denver and is concerned this will affect her career in this small community. The case took an emotional toll on her and she has been trying to move on from it,” said Deborah Yim, an employment attorney who represented the woman.

The publicly available filings in Scipione’s disciplinary case contained the redacted names of the employees in question. However, the detailed allegations about Scipione’s conduct showed that he made unwelcome comments to his law clerk by reportedly speaking about her physical appearance and his “swinger lifestyle” with his wife. Further, Scipione allegedly spoke with his judicial assistant about his lifestyle.

As part of his discipline, Scipione admitted he violated the code of conduct provisions requiring that he comply with the law, act with integrity and refrain from sexual harassment.

The second judge to be disciplined, former Denver Juvenile Court Presiding Judge D. Brett Woods, received a censure in December for being intoxicated on the job and for firing an employee who first reported his problematic alcohol use five years prior.

In a September 2019 agreement allowing the employee, the juvenile court’s then-clerk, to resign, the judicial branch agreed to pay her $25,190.40 for 12 weeks of pay and benefits. In exchange, she would release the branch from any legal claims. Woods himself signed the settlement as the presiding judge.

The clerk did not respond to an email at her new place of employment seeking comment.

As described in disciplinary documents, the juvenile court hired the clerk in 2017. Within two years, the clerk suspected Woods was drunk on the job and smelled alcohol on his breath.

The clerk reported concerns to her supervisors, who then passed along the allegations to Woods himself — a practice that is now prohibited. Woods told the judicial branch’s human resources department he wanted to fire the clerk because of the false allegations.

“Judge Woods now admits that the reporting employee’s concerns were legitimate and that he was at times under the influence of alcohol while at work,” the disciplinary filings stated. “For the next four years, no other Denver Juvenile Court staff formally reported concerns about Judge Woods’ alcohol impairment at work because of a fear of retaliation.”

Woods admitted he violated the code of conduct by retaliating against the clerk.