free speech
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Douglas County sheriff’s alleged political firing of subordinate to be heard by jury, judge rules
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A jury will decide whether the former Douglas County sheriff fired his subordinate for making a political Facebook post in the middle of the 2020 election, and whether the sheriff’s office has raised a valid defense to terminating her without the proper process. Holly Kluth, a 32-year employee of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, sued…
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Colorado Springs’ federal judge to mediate Woodland Park schools free speech suit
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Lawyers for the Woodland Park School District and the local teachers’ union agreed on Wednesday to mediate their dispute over a policy that allegedly infringes on employees’ constitutional right to free speech. Last month, the Woodland Park Education Association and its president, Nathaniel Owen, filed suit against the district, seeking to strike down a prohibition on employees…
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Federal judge dismisses religious discrimination lawsuit of ex-Douglas County schools administrator
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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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Appeals court allows ex-Boulder council candidate’s defamation lawsuit to proceed against activist
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Colorado’s second-highest court more precisely defined the contours of defamatory online speech last week, allowing a former Boulder City Council candidate’s lawsuit to proceed against a political activist who created an impersonation Twitter account that linked to unflattering material about the candidate. At the same time, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals declined…
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Colorado appeals court sides with customer sued over negative online review
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A series of statements a Colorado Springs woman made online and through the media about a plumbing company are protected under the law and do not amount to defamation, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last month. The decision from the Court of Appeals is the latest to address the tension between customers who leave critical online…
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Federal judge dismisses retaliation claim against Jeffco district, allows claim against blogger
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A federal judge has dismissed an attorney’s retaliation claim against her former employer, a special district based in Lakewood, while at the same time permitting the lawyer’s defamation claim against a blogger to proceed. Mary Joanne “Jo” Deziel Timmins sued the Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District after it fired her in the summer of 2021.…
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Colorado appeals court finds Masterpiece Cakeshop violated anti-discrimination law again
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For the second time in nearly eight years, Colorado’s second-highest court has agreed Masterpiece Cakeshop, Inc. violated the state’s antidiscrimination law by refusing to sell a cake to an LGBTQ customer. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals concluded the store’s owner, Jack Phillips, ran afoul of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) when he…
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10th Circuit finds no merit to First Amendment claims of Northglenn mosque protestor
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The federal appeals court based in Denver agreed Wednesday that a man convicted of violating a sidewalk obstruction ordinance while holding an “Islam Kills” sign outside a Northglenn mosque failed to show his First Amendment rights were violated. Richard Roy Blake filed a federal lawsuit seeking to declare as unconstitutional the portion of the Northglenn…
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Judge grants immunity to Cherry Creek schools officials who expelled student over anti-Semitic ‘joke’
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Although the federal appeals court based in Denver decided last year that Cherry Creek School District officials violated the constitutional rights of a student by expelling him for an off-campus social media post, a judge on Friday concluded they could not be sued for their actions after all. Last July, the U.S. Court of Appeals…
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Judge refuses to halt Colorado ban on LGBTQ conversion therapy for children
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A federal judge has refused to block enforcement of a 2019 Colorado law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ children, rejecting several arguments from a licensed counselor in Colorado Springs who alleges the law violates her First Amendment rights as a professional and a Christian. Kaley Chiles requested a preliminary injunction against House Bill 19-1129, which…
