child neglect
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Colorado justices consider when parents forfeit right to jury trial in child neglect cases
For parents involved in child neglect cases, Colorado lawmakers have given them the right to ask for a jury trial on the question of whether their children are neglected — a right they give up if they fail to appear at trial. On Tuesday, members of the Colorado Supreme Court heard arguments in three cases in…
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Colorado Supreme Court considers restoring multimillion-dollar award to RTD subcontractor
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will consider whether the Court of Appeals incorrectly threw out a $5.7 million award to a company that helped build a commuter rail line and, in doing so, endangered the ability of contractors to seek money they are owed going forward. At least three of the court’s seven…
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Colorado Supreme Court questions 2020 change to child neglect laws
The Colorado Supreme Court pondered on Tuesday what the legislature meant to happen when it changed the state’s child neglect laws in 2020 to require more than a positive drug test at birth to deem a child neglected. The debate centered on the wording lawmakers chose to replace the previous condition that a child is neglected when…
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Following 10th Circuit reversal, federal judge agrees man may sue Douglas County child caseworker
After the Denver-based federal appeals court found she improperly dismissed the lawsuit, a federal judge last week agreed that a father’s claims may proceed against a Douglas County child welfare worker who allegedly violated his constitutional rights while investigating suspected child abuse. Originally, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney dismissed the due process and…
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Appeals court overturns Archuleta County judge’s faulty child neglect ruling
Colorado’s second-highest court agreed an Archuleta County judge abruptly and wrongly deemed a man’s children neglected after he did not appear for a hearing, even though there was no basis for such a ruling. The county opened a child neglect case for two children based on the mother’s alleged substance abuse. Their father, identified as…
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Appeals court reverses termination of father’s parental rights after finding treatment plan impossible to comply with
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned a Jefferson County judge’s decision that terminated a man’s legal relationship with his children, concluding it was impossible for him to fulfill the terms of his treatment plan. Jeffco initiated child neglect proceedings in September 2022 against a mother, a father identified as J.T.Q., and their four children. The…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear appeals on campaign disclosures, right to jury trial in child neglect cases
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday it will consider when groups that advocate on ballot initiatives were required to register and disclose their election spending under a pre-2022 version of state law. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case. The justices will also evaluate whether a father…
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Appeals court divided over meaning of judge’s parenting order
Colorado’s second-highest court was split last week over whether to uphold an Arapahoe County judge’s parenting order, with two appellate judges interpreting the language differently than the parties and the third appellate judge. In the underlying case, the county filed a child neglect case on behalf of a 4-year-old girl. At an October 2023 hearing,…
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Federal judge green-lights negligence trial against 2 Denver child welfare workers
A federal judge determined last month that two child welfare workers in Denver will stand trial in a civil negligence case over the 2007 death of a boy at the hands of his guardians, and indicated on Tuesday he would not reconsider his decision. Chandler Grafner was 7 years old when he died in May…