harassment
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10th Circuit clarifies what judges should do when juries turn in conflicting verdicts
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The Denver-based federal appeals court put judges and lawyers on notice Monday that if a jury produces a verdict too confusing to interpret, a judge may ask jurors to reconsider their decision. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit acknowledged its prior decisions did not permit judges to let juries clarify certain kinds…
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Judicial Department paid $155,000 in settlements from 2 judges’ misconduct
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The Judicial Department paid more than $155,000 to former employees and their attorneys in connection with the misconduct of two trial judges who the Colorado Supreme Court publicly disciplined in 2024. Last May, the Supreme Court censured former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione for failing to disclose an intimate relationship with a staff…
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Federal judge sides with Denver Health in ex-paramedic’s discrimination lawsuit
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A federal judge concluded last month that evidence showed a former Denver Health paramedic was not fired because of his sexual orientation, as he alleged, but because his employer believed he exhibited poor judgment and resisted efforts to coach him professionally. Jordan Christensen filed suit under federal and state civil rights law asserting unwelcome treatment…
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Appeals court upholds restrictions on court access for man who threatened 2 judges
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Colorado second-highest court agreed last month that the restrictions imposed upon a man who harassed multiple Western Slope judges did not unconstitutionally infringe upon his right to access the courts. As part of his probationary terms for the offense of retaliating against a judge, Brett Andrew Nelson was required to obtain a court’s permission before…
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Ex-Adams County judge resigned after retaliation campaign against employee, improper relationship
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Robert W. Kiesnowski Jr. resigned from his position as an Adams County district judge this summer following his admission to a campaign of retaliation against an employee and a failure to comply with the judiciary’s rules on personal relationships, according to documents filed with the Colorado Supreme Court. Kiesnowski joined the 17th Judicial District bench…
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Douglas County judge wrongly let man represent self at trial, appeals court finds
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A Douglas County judge failed to ensure a defendant understood the charges against him and the consequences of proceeding without a lawyer before she allowed him to represent himself at trial, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday. Criminal defendants may give up their constitutional right to counsel, but the decision must be voluntary, intelligent and…
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Colorado Supreme Court rules domestic violence treatment is not ‘punishment’
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Domestic violence treatment imposed after a criminal conviction is not “punishment,” the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday, meaning that judges alone can determine whether a crime amounts to domestic violence. Justice Richard L. Gabriel explained in the June 12 opinion that while state lawmakers have not specified whether a finding of domestic violence is…
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Bill to lower threshold for workplace harassment clears Colorado legislature
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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 advances to lower threshold for workplace harassment in Colorado
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When a cook at Marie Evenson’s job repeatedly grabbed her around the waist, she reported him to a manager. One week later, she was fired for not “fitting in” to the workplace environment. Evenson met with a lawyer to discuss her legal options, but was told she didn’t have a case. Evenson said her lawyer claimed…
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10th Circuit reinstates Denver attorney’s challenge to protection order law
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A Denver attorney will be able to challenge the constitutionality of Colorado’s law governing civil protection orders, which shield protected parties from stalking and harassment, the federal appeals court based in Denver ruled on Wednesday. Regina T. Drexler became subject to a permanent protection order in 2015 after a judge believed it was necessary to…
