judge jill dorancy
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Appeals court adopts federal standard for jail deaths under Colorado law
Colorado’s second-highest court decided last month that the standard used by federal courts for assessing whether government officials may be liable for constitutional violations upon the death of a jail detainee also applies to claims made under the Colorado Constitution. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit over the July…
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Appeals court recognizes longer window to sue insurers for withholding policy details
Colorado’s second-highest court split with its own prior decision earlier this month and concluded injured motorists have two years, not one, to sue insurance companies for withholding relevant information about an at-fault driver’s policy. In 2019, Colorado lawmakers enacted a measure to help motorists determine which insurance coverage is available in the event of an injury. To…
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Colorado justices to Denver judge: Take another shot at answering confidentiality question
The Colorado Supreme Court returned an appeal to a trial judge last week, telling her to redo her ruling allowing for the disclosure of potentially confidential documents after she acknowledged she used the wrong standard the first time. In the underlying case, Hill Hotel Owner, LLC constructed a 189-room hotel in Boulder, which opened this year.…
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‘Half-baked,’ ‘wild outlier’: Colorado justices mull jettisoning insurance documents appeal
After a trial judge took the rare step of admitting she used the wrong legal standard when ordering the disclosure of documents in an insurance dispute, the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday wondered whether it would be overstepping by issuing guidance in the appeal. “This feels half-baked to me,” said Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr.…
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Colorado justices signal intervention in 4 ongoing cases, including jury trials for evictions and Ouray rape prosecution
The Colorado Supreme Court recently signaled it may intervene in four ongoing cases in the trial courts on subjects that include a tenant’s right to a jury trial in eviction proceedings, whether defendants should remain incarcerated pending a sanity evaluation and a judge’s decision to sanction prosecutors for late-disclosed evidence. Although most of the Supreme…
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Colorado appeals court upholds campaign finance fine for ex-state Senate candidate
Colorado’s second-highest court last week agreed a former state Senate candidate misinterpreted campaign finance law and failed to file the proper paperwork upon declaring her candidacy. Suzanne Taheri was the unsuccessful Republican nominee in 2020 for the seat now held by Sen. Chris Kolker, D-Littleton. Although Taheri believed she had satisfied Colorado’s campaign finance requirements…
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Colorado appeals court upholds campaign finance fine for ex-state Senate candidate
Colorado’s second-highest court last week agreed a former state Senate candidate misinterpreted campaign finance law and failed to file the proper paperwork upon declaring her candidacy. Suzanne Taheri was the unsuccessful Republican nominee in 2020 for the seat now held by Sen. Chris Kolker, D-Littleton. Although Taheri believed she had satisfied Colorado’s campaign finance requirements…
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Colorado legal community honors roster of Black female judges
Members of the legal community gathered over the weekend in Denver to celebrate the influx of Black women into the state’s judiciary over the past four years, the result of a deliberate campaign to increase diversity after Colorado recently came close to having no Black district court judges sitting on the bench. Now, 4% of…