judge matthew grove
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Colorado Supreme Court accepts cases on parole revocation, debt collection
The Colorado Supreme Court recently announced it will decide whether people must appeal their revocation of parole to the parole board itself, or if they can seek judicial review directly. At least three of the seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. The justices also will decide whether a debt collection company…
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Appeals court orders new murder trial after Denver judge gave faulty self-defense instruction
Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a man’s murder conviction and life sentence on Thursday after concluding a Denver judge gave a problematic self-defense instruction to jurors, casting doubt on the verdict. Jurors delivered a split verdict, acquitting Oscar D. Villegas-Ortega of first-degree murder after deliberation, but convicting him of another murder charge as well as manslaughter and assault.…
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Despite 2020 change, Colorado justices rule positive drug test alone can lead to child neglect finding
A divided Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a newborn’s positive drug test by itself can lead to a finding of child neglect, even though legislators amended the law five years ago to eliminate that trigger. The legal debate centered on the wording lawmakers chose to replace the previous understanding that a child is neglected when…
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2021 transportation bill did not violate TABOR, appeals court rules
Colorado’s second-highest court rejected a legal challenge on Thursday to a major piece of a 2021 law that created new funding sources for the state’s transportation system. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative Virginia-based advocacy group with a chapter in Colorado, sought to strike down Senate Bill 260 and block various government-owned business from collecting fees until voters…
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Colorado Supreme Court questions 2020 change to child neglect laws
The Colorado Supreme Court pondered on Tuesday what the legislature meant to happen when it changed the state’s child neglect laws in 2020 to require more than a positive drug test at birth to deem a child neglected. The debate centered on the wording lawmakers chose to replace the previous condition that a child is neglected when…
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Appeals court rules Denver ordinance’s constitutionality has no bearing on lawfulness of arrest
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that regardless of whether a plaintiff could later show Denver’s ordinance was unconstitutional, arresting officers were acting with probable cause at the time and could not be held liable. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals pointed to a 1979 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that indicated…
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Colorado Supreme Court clarifies path for proving insurers’ unreasonable delay of benefits
The Colorado Supreme Court delivered a decision with mixed benefits to insurance companies and policyholders on Monday, ruling that insurers’ internal evaluations of claims cannot be used to prove how much they owe a plaintiff, but companies also cannot hide behind ambiguity to delay paying certain types of damages. Under state law, insurers cannot unreasonably…
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Appeals court reverses termination of father’s parental rights after finding treatment plan impossible to comply with
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned a Jefferson County judge’s decision that terminated a man’s legal relationship with his children, concluding it was impossible for him to fulfill the terms of his treatment plan. Jeffco initiated child neglect proceedings in September 2022 against a mother, a father identified as J.T.Q., and their four children. The…
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Colorado justices wary of upending process for settling insurance claims of injured parties
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court seemed hesitant last month to find that insurance companies act unreasonably if they do not immediately pay an injured claimant the minimum amount the insurer’s internal analysis has calculated. Under state law, insurers cannot unreasonably delay or deny payment on a claim. The Supreme Court, in a 2018 decision, previously…
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Prosecutorial misconduct, error-prone judge’s decision prompt appeals court to overturn homicide conviction
Misconduct by two prosecutors and a Douglas County judge’s decision to bar crucial testimony prompted Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday to reverse a woman’s vehicular homicide conviction. Jurors convicted Jennifer Lea Woodruff of killing her coworker, Christopher Roberts, in a car accident along Interstate 25. The defense’s theory was that Woodruff’s medical condition caused her…