retaliation
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Appeals court rejects CDOT employee’s discrimination, retaliation claims
Colorado’s second-highest court agreed last week that a Colorado Department of Transportation employee had not shown that his employer discriminated and retaliated against him due to his religion and national origin. Ayman Salloum, who described himself as a 70-year-old Muslim immigrant from Jordan, was an environmental protection specialist at CDOT in December 2024. That month,…
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Federal judge green-lights excessive force, retaliation claims for trial against Fort Collins officers
A federal judge green-lit a jury trial last week against multiple Fort Collins police officers on claims that they used excessive force on one man who was standing unarmed in his underwear, and retaliated against another man for exercising his First Amendment right to record video. Several Fort Collins police officers converged late one night…
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Federal judge allows retaliation claims to proceed against prison officials
A federal judge agreed last week that a man incarcerated at Sterling Correctional Facility had credibly alleged that employees retaliated against him for filing grievances, including by taking away his disability accommodations and turning off his electricity. Louis Peoples Jr., 72, has visual and mobility impairments, plus a heart condition, diabetes, and susceptibility to seizures.…
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Federal judge declines to dismiss First Amendment retaliation claim against prison official
A federal judge agreed last month that an incarcerated Native American woman may pursue her claim of First Amendment retaliation against a prison official who allegedly interfered with her religious exercise. Yvonne Peterson resided at Buena Vista Correctional Facility for a portion of 2025. Since age 8, she practiced her Native American religion, including through…
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Colorado equal pay law does not require plaintiffs to allege gender-based retaliation, appeals court finds
The 2019 Colorado law aimed at rooting out pay discrimination on the basis of sex does not require a plaintiff to allege their employer retaliated against them for sex- or gender-related reasons, the state’s second-highest court decided on Thursday. Lawmakers enacted the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act with a stated intent to “close the…
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Federal judge sides with Mesa County school district in ex-student’s First Amendment claims
A federal judge concluded last week that Mesa County Valley School District 51 and three of its administrators did not violate the First Amendment rights of a former student when they imposed minor discipline in response to disruptive behavior. In the landmark 1969 decision of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the U.S. Supreme Court…
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Colorado Supreme Court to examine whether corporations can be liable for ‘felonious killing’
The Colorado Supreme Court recently announced that it will determine whether corporations can be liable for a “felonious killing,” meaning there is no limit to the damages they might pay for pain and suffering after causing a wrongful death. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to take a case on appeal.…
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10th Circuit revives retaliation claim against Jeffco sanitation district
The Denver-based federal appeals court on Monday reinstated an attorney’s retaliation claim against her former employer, a special district based in Lakewood, alleging she was fired for statements she made about board members’ malfeasance. Courts have recognized that public employees’ First Amendment rights are more limited, owing to the need for the government to control…
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Federal judge finds fire chief violated due process rights of ex-employee in Boulder-Weld district
A federal judge concluded last week that the chief of a fire protection district spanning Boulder and Weld counties violated the constitutional rights of an employee by terminating him through a process that lacked sufficient procedural protections. However, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer also determined plaintiff Benjamin Carter could not prevail on…
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Federal judge green-lights trial for ex-Rio Grande County sheriff employee’s hostile work environment claims
A federal judge on Monday found a former Rio Grande County sheriff’s dispatcher had not shown she was subjected to disability discrimination or was retaliated against, but that a jury would need to decide whether she experienced a hostile work environment based on her sex and ancestry. Then-Sheriff Don McDonald fired Lauren N. Trujillo in…