judge charlotte sweeney
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Aurora for officer’s attack on woman
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A federal judge last month refused to dismiss a woman’s claim that the city of Aurora’s policies motivated an officer’s decision to attack her while he was on administrative leave. Wyoma Martinez filed suit against Officer Douglas Harroun and the city after Harroun attempted to arrest Martinez at her apartment complex in January 2023 while…
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Federal judge dismisses malicious prosecution suit against Colorado Springs officers
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A federal judge has dismissed a woman’s lawsuit against two Colorado Springs police officers who arrested her instead of looking into her report that she was the victim of domestic violence. U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney found it problematic if the officers did not follow up on Rebecca Varney’s claim of being assaulted…
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By 2-1, 10th Circuit rejects request to block Colorado’s conversion therapy ban
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Colorado’s 2019 ban on the provision of “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ children will remain in effect after the federal appeals court based in Denver declined on Thursday to block the law on constitutional grounds. Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor in Colorado Springs, alleged the law violated her First Amendment rights and sought a preliminary injunction.…
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10th Circuit allows lawsuit to proceed against federal prison officials who attacked fellow staff
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The federal appeals court based in Denver agreed on Tuesday that multiple prison employees could be held individually liable for taking a hostage-training exercise too far and, as a trial judge found, engaging “in combat” with other staff members. The question before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit was whether the government…
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Federal judges’ financial disclosures reveal frequent travelers, income sources, minor errors
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A review of judges’ financial disclosures for the federal trial and appeals courts headquartered in Denver reveals a range of income sources, a handful of judges who are frequent travelers to conferences and seminars, plus one judge’s minor — but repeated — errors in reporting. Pursuant to federal law, judges must file annual financial disclosures plus periodic…
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After rejection by Colorado Supreme Court, federal judge also tosses oil, gas owners’ taxation challenge
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A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit from a collection of mineral rights owners in Montezuma County, following the Colorado Supreme Court’s conclusion last year that they lacked standing to challenge roughly $500,000 in taxes owed. The long-running dispute centers on the McElmo Dome Unit in southwestern Colorado. Operator Kinder Morgan extracts the carbon…
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Denver Health for jail detainee’s death
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A federal judge last week declined to dismiss a lawsuit against Denver Health and several employees for their alleged roles in the death of a 71-year-old jail detainee. Leroy “Nicky” Taylor died on Feb. 9, 2022 at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center, where he was serving a 90-day sentence. Taylor’s son subsequently filed suit against Denver…
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Second federal judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Fort Collins for officer’s wrongful DUI arrests
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A second federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss Fort Collins from a lawsuit alleging the city’s own failures contributed to a police officer’s repeated wrongful arrests of motorists who were not actually intoxicated. Carl Sever is one of several arrestees who filed suit over their encounters with Jason Haferman, the former “DUI officer” for…
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Federal judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against El Paso County, jail contractor for deficient care
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A federal judge last month rejected an attempt by El Paso County and the former medical provider for its jail to dismiss a lawsuit alleging deliberate indifference to a detainee’s serious medical needs. Alexandro Duran, who is partially paralyzed and uses a wheelchair, entered the county jail in November 2021. While there, staff allegedly refused…
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Find the bias: Chief federal judge, lawyers talk about how to select a jury
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For lawyers participating in jury selection in federal court, the key is to identify biased jurors, while also remaining conversational, taking notes, and paying attention to basic details. “It is a very frequent occurrence that I’ve clarified how the juror pronounces his or her name and the attorney gets up there and butchers it because…