excessive force
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Greeley officer postpones request for immunity in illegal detention suit after judge expresses doubts
The lawyer for a Greeley police officer backed down from his plans to ask for qualified immunity on Thursday, after a federal judge suggested the request to end the illegal detention lawsuit was premature. Officer Kody Brunnemer faces allegations that he violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures when he detained, then…
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Federal judge sends illegal arrest lawsuit against Colorado Springs officers to trial
A jury will decide whether Colorado Springs police officers unlawfully arrested and searched a woman who, moments prior, helped resuscitate a man who had stopped breathing from a drug overdose. Colorado Springs asked U.S. District Court Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello to find its officers acted reasonably when they handcuffed and cited Sasha Cronick for…
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10th Circuit grants immunity to Douglas County deputies who entered home over man’s objection, used force
Douglas County sheriff’s deputies cannot be held liable for entering a man’s home without a warrant, over his objection, and forcibly arresting him on suspicion of domestic violence, the federal appeals court based in Denver ruled last month. Bryce Watkins sued three deputies for violating his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures by…
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Aurora firefighters union may seek entry into consent decree lawsuit, appeals court rules
The union representing Aurora’s firefighters could be allowed to join the litigation between the city and the state that resulted in a consent decree addressing unlawful police and paramedic behavior, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week. The agreement to reform the city’s policies came after Attorney General Phil Weiser released a report in 2021 documenting…
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Colorado appeals court, 2-1, rules defendant not entitled to arresting officer’s discipline file
In a divided ruling, Colorado’s second-highest court found a man convicted of assaulting an Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy was not entitled to a review of the victim’s personnel records and potential history of excessive force. Marcos Casillas did not dispute that he was guilty of resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer, nor that he…
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Federal judge declines to label Colorado Springs appeal ‘frivolous’ in lawsuit over police killing
Although she previously found a jury should decide whether Colorado Springs police officers and the city itself are liable for killing a man with a Taser, a federal judge has declined to forge ahead with a trial while the defendants appeal her ruling. In March, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello determined a…
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Federal judge says Westminster officers not liable for using Taser on man in home in front of family
Westminster police officers who hit and tased an intoxicated man in his home while his child and wife screamed for them to stop cannot be held liable for excessive force, a federal judge ruled last month. Although Jose Sariñana Gandara’s wife originally called 911 to inquire about transporting Sariñana to a detox facility, multiple officers who…
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10th Circuit agrees Adams County deputy who fractured motorist’s ribs not liable for excessive force
An Adams County sheriff’s deputy who pulled a man out of his pickup truck and fractured his ribs after smelling marijuana is not liable for excessive force, the federal appeals court based in Denver ruled last week. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit agreed Jeffrey Helvie’s refusal to exit the vehicle and…
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10th Circuit upholds $2.4 million jury verdict against Denver for officer’s shooting of unarmed man
The federal appeals court based in Colorado has upheld a jury’s verdict that found a Denver officer responsible for excessive force by opening fire on an unarmed man, and the city itself liable for failing to adequately train him. Sgt. Robert Motyka Jr. seriously injured Michael Valdez following a January 2013 vehicle chase in which…
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss excessive force lawsuit against Aurora officer
A federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss an excessive force claim against an Aurora police officer for shooting a gun-wielding man, even though the man was not pointing his weapon at anyone and had only two seconds to react to the officer’s commands. U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez agreed Officer Joseph…