discrimination
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Federal judge dismisses religious discrimination lawsuit of ex-Douglas County schools administrator
A former Douglas County high school administrator did not credibly allege he was discriminated or retaliated against because of his status as a Christian, a federal judge decided this week in dismissing the lawsuit. Corey McNellis worked at Ponderosa High School for 14 years and was the athletic director and assistant principal at the time…
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Federal judge sides with Denver in ex-firefighter’s discrimination lawsuit
A federal judge determined last week that an aspiring firefighter who sued Denver for allegedly discriminating against her had not proven the city unlawfully terminated her because of race, sex or disability. Charmaine Cassie, who is Black, alleged Denver unreasonably declined to extend her leave from the fire department in accordance with her doctor’s orders,…
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Federal judge to Gunnison landlords: Comply with anti-discrimination measures or ‘punishments are going to start’
A federal judge earlier this month warned a trio of Gunnison landlords who have spent three years largely ignoring an anti-discrimination order that they cannot avoid their obligations any longer. U.S. District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher informed David Welch, John Welch and Ruth Welch that whether they actually violated federal law in renting their…
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10th Circuit finds no discrimination against Denver postal worker
A Denver employee of the U.S. Postal Service failed to show her employer retaliated, discriminated against her or otherwise refused to accommodate her disability, the federal appeals court based in Colorado ruled last month. Melissa M. Goodson held a variety of jobs within the Postal Service since 1997. After she suffered an on-the-job injury in…
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Colorado Supreme Court to answer whether discrimination, retaliation are eviction defenses
Under Colorado law, discrimination and retaliation by landlords are illegal. But are they something that can prevent a landlord from carrying out an eviction? On Monday, the state Supreme Court agreed to review a case out of Adams County in which a tenant claims her landlord moved to evict her after she rejected his sexual…
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss ex-Weld County schools chief’s retaliation lawsuit
A federal judge has refused to dismiss the lawsuit of a former Weld County schools superintendent who alleges her school board fired her after she stood up against multiple incidents of racism, sexism and homophobia involving one of the district’s principals. Leslie Arnold led Weld County School District RE-5J from 2018 to 2021, where she…
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Colorado appeals court says judges not required to ask jurors about race, instruct on implicit bias
For the first time, Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday ruled that trial judges do not have to ask jurors to disclose their race and ethnicity, nor do they need to caution jurors about implicit bias – although there is nothing preventing judges from taking those steps, either. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized nearly four decades ago…
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Colorado moves to strengthen Equal Pay for Equal Work Act
Colorado businesses have been required to provide equal pay to employees performing the same work since 2021. But many women say they still face pay discrimination in the workplace. Lawmakers are trying to address the gaps with Senate Bill 105, which cleared its last major legislative hurdle on Monday. If enacted, the bill would implement measures to…
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Bill to lower threshold for workplace harassment clears Colorado legislature
In most states, harassment in the workplace has to meet a certain threshold of severity and frequency in order to be unlawful. But in Colorado, Democratic lawmakers want to change that. Senate Bill 172 seeks to update the state’s definition of harassment and specify that harassment does not need to be “severe or pervasive” to constitute…
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Bill banning employers from asking for age in job applications sent to Polis
Nearly 80% of older workers say they have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace and around 40% of hiring managers admit to reviewing resumes with age bias. In Colorado, lawmakers are trying to change that with Senate Bill 58. If signed into law, the bill would ban employers from asking for an applicant’s age, date of birth or graduation…