judge denise lynch
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Appeals court reinstates Garfield County arson charge
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Colorado’s second-highest court reinstated a Garfield County defendant’s arson charge on Thursday, concluding a trial judge improperly credited a witness’s claim that she alone was responsible for starting the fire. A sheriff’s deputy responded to a brush fire near Parachute in May 2024, next to a residential neighborhood. Witness statements and video evidence suggested Tiana…
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Colorado’s justices weigh immunity for municipalities acting as housing developers
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Members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared skeptical this week of the idea that local governments lose their immunity under state law when they act as affordable housing developers. The Colorado Governmental Immunity Act broadly shields public entities from lawsuits over injuries they cause. Although there are exceptions to the immunity, the purpose of the…
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Colorado Supreme Court rules, 4-3, state’s oil and gas regulators not empowered to resolve contract dispute
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By 4-3, Colorado’s Supreme Court on Monday ruled the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission does not have the authority to resolve a contract dispute between a well operator in Garfield County and those who are owed royalties from the extraction operations, putting a stop to a half-decade of ping-ponging between venues. The majority’s decision…
