Tag: adams county
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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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Colorado Cost of Living: ‘Everything is feeling too expensive all at once’ in Adams County
Adams County real estate broker Jessica Zeleniak has watched the median age of first-time homebuyers go up drastically in the last several years. Currently, the median age for her clients hovers around 40. While the cost of housing itself is a major factor in that trend, other costs like interest rates, homeowners’ association and metro…
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Colorado Supreme Court appears OK with revised ‘reasonable doubt’ instruction
The Colorado Supreme Court appeared largely comfortable on Thursday with the recently revised definition of “reasonable doubt” that is now part of the template jury instructions for criminal cases. To date, multiple Court of Appeals decisions have endorsed the constitutionality of the new phrasing, which resembles the instruction given in Colorado’s federal trial court. U.S.…
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Adams County Detention Facility nurse charged with giving weed to inmate
A former contract nurse who worked in the Adams County Detention Facility was charged Friday with allegedly giving an inmate synthetic marijuana. Stephanie Bagwell, 52, was charged with introducing contraband to the second degree for allegedly introducing synthetic cannabinoids into the facility between Feb. 16 and March 3, according to news releases from the Adams…
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Appeals court overturns Adams County sex offense convictions due to prosecutor’s misconduct
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed multiple child sex assault convictions on Thursday after concluding an Adams County prosecutor committed misconduct while cross-examining the defendant. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel observed the charges against Daniel Michael Boerner depended on the jury either believing the child witnesses’ original accusations or believing their trial testimony, which cast doubt…
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Colorado justices clarify procedure for defendants to access DNA analyst’s criminal file
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that trial judges may order Jefferson County prosecutors to disclose information related to the criminal prosecution of a DNA analyst accused of misconduct, but defendants seeking those files cannot rely on the order alone to gain access. Yvonne “Missy” Woods is a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA…
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CDOT did not violate constitutional rights of outdoor advertising company, appeals court says
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last month that the Colorado Department of Transportation did not violate the constitutional rights of an outdoor advertising company by denying two permits for billboards in Adams County. StreetMediaGroup, LLC argued CDOT violated its right to equal protection under the law by allowing “large, influential competitors” to maintain signs not in…
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Adams, Broomfield counties see ‘sharp’ decline in car theft
Adams and Broomfield Counties have seen a “sharp decline” in car thefts since their peak in 2022, with the number of reported thefts cut in half. District Attorney Brian Mason announced the data trend on Wednesday, saying there have been annual reductions in the number of car thefts through this year. Car theft surged during…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases about ‘reasonable doubt’ definition, contract dispute
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it will decide whether the definition of “reasonable doubt” adopted in a 2023 revision to the template jury instructions violates the constitutional rights of the criminally accused. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. The justices will also…
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Appeals court rejects allegations of racial discrimination in jury selection in 2 cases
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last month that prosecutors in two cases did not engage in intentional racial discrimination when they dismissed two women of color from the jury pool. Under longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, purposeful race-based discrimination in jury selection is unconstitutional. Normally, parties may exercise “peremptory strikes” of jurors without citing a reason.…