court of appeals
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Colorado justices decline to expand judges’ authority to second-guess medical malpractice awards
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The Colorado Supreme Court rejected a hospital’s argument on Monday that judges have broad authority to recalculate a jury’s monetary award to plaintiffs injured by medical malpractice. Under state law, damages in medical malpractice lawsuits are generally capped at $1 million as part of a 1988 policy change intended to curb the costs of medicine…
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Appeals court finds Denver jury convicted man for possessing more fentanyl than evidence showed
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Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday concluded a Denver jury convicted a defendant of a felony for possessing more than four grams of an illegal substance when the evidence actually showed it was not close to even one gram. At his 2023 trial, a jury convicted Cesar Noel Garcia for misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine and felony…
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Colorado Supreme Court committee debates tenant-friendly eviction proposal
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Members of the Colorado Supreme Court’s civil rules committee vigorously debated a proposed rule change last month that would make it easier for tenants facing eviction to respond to and learn about their landlord’s initial court filing. As drafted, the disputed provision would require that a case number be assigned to a landlord’s complaint before…
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Federal judges appoint US attorney, lawyers hear about AI use | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. Colorado’s federal trial court has appointed the state’s U.S. attorney, and lawyers heard about how to practice safe use of artificial intelligence. Heard on appeal • The Colorado Supreme Court decided organizations, like newspapers, are entitled to recover the legal costs…
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Appeals court overturns assault conviction due to Arapahoe County prosecutor’s misconduct
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Colorado’s second-highest court ordered a new trial on Thursday after concluding an Arapahoe County prosecutor’s improper commentary about a defendant’s constitutional right to silence undermined the fairness of his trial. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel acknowledged it was fair game for the prosecution to cross-examine defendant Dominic Jorge Martinez about inconsistencies between his trial…
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Colorado justices deliver favorable ruling for organizations raising open meetings violations
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The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that organizations are entitled to the same recovery of their costs as individuals when they successfully pursue a public entity’s violation of the state’s open meetings law. The Colorado Open Meetings Law permits “any person” to challenge a violation of the law. At the same time, it grants…
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An obligation to use AI? Federal judge addresses lawyers on responsible technology use
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell addressed a group of Colorado attorneys on Friday with the message that they should be practicing and understanding how to use artificial intelligence because it is encroaching on more and more aspects of society. “There was a time when you had to be rich to have a cell phone,”…
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Colorado judges explore professionalism, ethics, AI in discussions with lawyers
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Members of Colorado’s state and federal judiciary held a series of discussions with lawyers on Friday that touched on attorneys’ ethical obligations, the responsible use of artificial intelligence and generational differences in the legal profession. “The world has changed very dramatically since we started practicing. It’s much more competitive,” said Justice Richard L. Gabriel. The…
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Federal courts prepare for lengthy shutdown, SCOTUS to hear Colorado case | COURT CRAWL
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Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. Colorado’s federal courts have announced their intentions if the lapse in congressional funding is prolonged, plus the nation’s highest court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a First Amendment challenge out of Colorado. In federal news • Both the U.S.…
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Appeals court revives child abuse prosecution despite ex-DA’s ‘inappropriate’ comments to media
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Colorado’s second-highest court reinstated the criminal charges in a Fremont County child abuse case on Thursday, acknowledging the elected district attorney’s public comments about the defendant were “inappropriate” but did not rise to the level of triggering dismissal. Last year, a judge dismissed the case against Brook N. Crawford after then-District Attorney Linda Stanley spoke…
