magistrate judge kathryn starnella
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Colorado Supreme Court heads toward summer recess, newest justice authors first opinion | COURT CRAWL
Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. The state Supreme Court is in the process of releasing a large batch of opinions as it heads toward its summer recess in July, plus the newest justice authored her first opinion for the court. Colorado Supreme Court news • The…
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Denver law students create AI-powered tools in federal judge’s ‘design sprint’
A tenant discovered a handwritten note on his door stating he had 48 hours to move out. The landlord changed the locks without notice or court proceedings. The tenant paid rent on time and had never received any complaints about a lease violation. As a result of the landlord’s actions, he could not get inside…
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10th Circuit orders lawyer to pay $1,000 for faulty AI citations
The Denver-based federal appeals court ordered a lawyer on Monday to pay $1,000 to the opposing side for submitting a legal filing with fake case citations generated by artificial intelligence. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit acknowledged Kusmin Linda Amarsingh had expressed remorse over using unverified ChatGPT citations.…
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Divided 10th Circuit orders pretrial release of defendant facing drug charges
The Denver-based federal appeals court overturned a judge’s order keeping a defendant in custody pending trial on Friday, ruling 2-1 that she was entitled to release under the law. Erika Esmeralda Garcia stands accused of two charges related to the possession and distribution of fentanyl, plus a charge for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Previously,…
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Federal judge recommends sanctions on plaintiffs for faulty case citations
A federal judge recommended that a pair of self-represented plaintiffs be subject to a range of sanctions for including flawed and non-existent case citations in their filings, potentially by using artificial intelligence. “A federal court is not a workshop for fictional writing. It is a forum that exists to uphold the law, administer justice, and…
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10th Circuit upholds $1,000-a-day sanction on Colorado podcaster in defamation case
The Denver-based federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld a $1,000-per-day sanction against a conservative podcaster who absconded from the courthouse where he was required to sit for a deposition — and instead returned home to record a podcast and insult the judge. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit also…
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Federal judge dismisses National Guard member’s First Amendment lawsuit
A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit from a member of the Colorado National Guard who alleged leadership unconstitutionally punished him for derogatory remarks made on a podcast. In a March 14 order, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer expressed some confusion about how plaintiff David Morrill was alleging his First Amendment…
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10th Circuit says Lakewood sergeant has immunity for fatally shooting man in burning basement
The Denver-based federal appeals court agreed on Thursday that a Lakewood police sergeant did not violate a man’s constitutional rights by shooting and killing him while trying to evacuate him from a burning basement. Jason Waterhouse was behaving erratically when he barricaded himself in the basement of his sister’s home, then started a fire while…
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Federal judge allows man to sue Aurora officer for alleged accidental discharge of gun
A federal judge last week declined to dismiss a man’s excessive force claim against an Aurora police officer, who fired his gun in what the city alleged to be an accidental discharge. This spring, Arapahoe County jurors found Eugene Robertson guilty of numerous attempted murder charges. However, while he was incarcerated pending trial, Robertson filed suit against…
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‘Reality testing’ cases: Federal judge speaks about lessons learned in first year on the job
Following her first 15 months on the job, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathryn A. Starnella spoke on Tuesday about her evolving approach on the bench, including her expectations of attorneys who want her assistance in facilitating settlements of civil cases. Of the more than 3,000 cases filed in Colorado’s federal trial court annually, only a small…