excessive force
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss 78-year-old man’s excessive force claims against Westminster officer
A federal judge last week refused to dismiss an elderly man’s excessive force claims against a Westminster police officer who pushed him to the ground and tased him inside a Walmart. Lawyers for the city and Officer Michael Owen attempted to portray Clayton Louis Shriver, a retired electrician who reportedly suffers from numerous medical conditions,…
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Judge says Denver may be held liable for failing to train officer who punched man in wheelchair
A federal judge last week declined to dismiss the City and County of Denver from an excessive force lawsuit, finding the plaintiff credibly alleged the government’s failure to train its deputies was the cause of his injuries. Video footage from 2019 captured sheriff’s Deputy Jason Gentempo punching Serafin Finn multiple times and shoving Finn, who was…
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Judge dismisses lawsuit against Elbert County sheriff for employee’s alleged misconduct
A federal judge on Thursday decided Elbert County Sheriff Tim Norton cannot be held liable for an employee’s alleged excessive force and wrongful arrest of a Parker woman, in violation of departmental policy. Tori Plentyhoops filed suit in October against Norton and Sgt. Jonathan Rolff, stemming from a 2021 encounter that resulted in Plentyhoops’ arrest.…
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Judge dismisses lawsuit against Garfield County deputy who injured detainee’s testicle
A federal judge has found a Garfield County sheriff’s deputy did not violate the constitutional rights of a sleeping detainee by allegedly tossing a pack of playing cards at him and injuring his testicle. According to Juan A. Carrazco’s lawsuit, he had asked Deputy Amber Morrison to wake him in the morning so he could…
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10th Circuit hears Denver’s request to throw out jury’s verdict for excessive force
Almost 10 years to the day after Denver police shot at Michael Valdez 19 times while he lay on the ground in surrender, lawyers for the city were back in court seeking to throw out his excessive force lawsuit. This time, Valdez was armed with a jury’s verdict finding Denver liable for failing to train…
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10th Circuit ponders immunity for Colorado Springs officer in hospital room tasing
Some members of the federal appeals court based in Denver appeared skeptical on Tuesday that a Colorado Springs police officer committed a constitutional violation when he tased a man for refusing to hand over a cell phone that contained suspected evidence of child abuse. Last year, a trial judge allowed Carl Andersen Jr. to take…
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10th Circuit awards immunity to Fort Collins cop who slammed college student into ground
The federal appeals court based in Denver has determined a Fort Collins officer who slammed a college student face-first into the ground cannot be held liable for excessive force. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit acknowledged Officer Randall Klamser did violate the constitutional rights of Michaella Lynn Surat…
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Federal judge dismisses excessive force claim against Sterling for police killing of man
The city of Sterling cannot be held liable for the fatal shooting of a suspect by one of its officers, a federal judge has ruled. Officer Austin Molcyk shot and killed Tyler Kracht on May 3, 2020, after a short chase in which Molcyk rammed Kracht’s car and disabled it. Kracht’s mother filed suit against…
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Judge orders sanctions against lawyer for continued ‘frivolous’ litigation against Commerce City
A federal judge has ordered new monetary sanctions against a lawyer with a history of professional disciplinary infractions, finding she pursued a meritless lawsuit against Commerce City for over two years in an alleged police misconduct case. Jean Pirzadeh, a lawyer at the Colorado Christian Defense Counsel, first filed suit in Adams County in August 2020,…
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Rifle officer who shot fleeing suspect may be held liable for excessive force, judge says
A jury will now decide whether a Rifle police officer and the city itself are liable for shooting a fleeing suicidal man, as a federal judge on Monday refused to grant immunity for the 2019 killing of Allan George. Lawyers for Corporal Dewey Ryan and the city argued George posed a threat to others as…