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::: 1st & 2nd Quarters - 2006 :::
Cases
Steve Lass successfully completed a two-day trial in a mountain community involving complex issues regarding trusts, inheritances, the appreciation of separate property, and spousal maintenance. David Fine and Martha Tierney recently settled litigation involving complex lender liability, fraud and contract issues. Our client was Tatonka Capital Corporation, the lender, and the adverse parties included Planet Airways and Lou Pearlman. A confidentiality agreement prohibits discussion of the details of the case. Steve Lass settled a dissolution of marriage case involving the valuation of a closely-held ski industry business valued at several million dollars. Martha Tierney and Jerremy Ramp are working as cooperating attorneys with the ACLU on a case arising out of the incident in March 2005 when three citizens, later known as the "Denver Three," were ejected from George W. Bush's town hall meeting on social security, held at the Wings Over the Rockies Museum, for allegedly arriving at the event in a car that displayed a bumper sticker proclaiming "No More Blood for Oil." Media reports from around the country suggest a similar pattern at other public presidential events, wherein citizens who were known to hold a political viewpoint different from the President's viewpoint were either not allowed in or were ejected from those events. Tierney, Ramp and the ACLU filed the case in November 2005 in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on behalf of two of the three ejected citizens against two individuals who were known to be involved in the ejection, and against up to five John/Jane Does who are believed to have been involved in the ejection, but whose identities are presently unknown. The case has been assigned to the Honorable Wiley Y. Daniel at civil action number 05-CV-2355-WYD-CBS. Martha Tierney represented a small business owner in a Colorado Open Records Act proceeding against the University of Colorado. The matter arose when Tierney's client, a franchisee of a used bookstore to be opened in Boulder, attempted to obtain the required textbook list for the Fall 2005 semester from the University of Colorado at Boulder. The case generated critical media reports when it became known that the University intended to make available only a paper copy of the booklist, as opposed to an electronic copy, at a charge of several thousand dollars per semester - an action that appeared likely to chill competition and ultimately reduce competitive book pricing for CU students. After six months of negotiations, the University altered its stance and offered the booklist in electronic form at a reasonable price. In connection with our frequent representation of divorcing professionals, Steve Lass settled several dissolution of marriage cases where both parties were attorneys. Terry Kelly, Jerremy Ramp and Helen Guarneri completed the property division settlement of a marital estate that included broad and diverse property items, including officer stock options and stock in a publicly traded company. These cases involve compliance with federal statutes and SEC rules and regulations governing disclosure of insider information to family members and former family members, as well as restrictions on trading. Around the Firm
Steve Lass is continuing his role as a member of the Legislative Policy Committee of the Colorado Bar Association. Members of the Legislative Policy Committee are appointed by the President of the Colorado Bar Association. The Committee is the principal entity by which the Bar Association determines whether it or its sections or committees will take positions with respect to pending legislation. Freddie Alvarez, already a member of the Colorado Bar Fellows, was inducted into the American Bar Association Fellows. Freddie has also been elected by the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors as a Delegate to the American Bar Association. Terry Kelly is the 2005-06 president of the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. David Fine, who represents the Colorado Democratic Party, is a member of the Colorado Lawyers Committee's Election Task Force. The Task Force consists of representatives from the major political parties, Common Cause, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, the African American Voter Information Project and other interested stakeholders, and will work with Secretary of State Gigi Dennis to address issues related to the federal Help America Vote Act and subsequent state election-related legislation. At the Podium
David Fine, Martha Tierney and Kate Swan recently submitted their section on constitutional law for the Annual Survey of the Law 2005, published by CLE of Colorado. David and Martha have authored this section since the 1999 edition. Steve Lass was co-chair of the three-day Family Law Institute, which was held in Breckenridge. The Institute is one of the largest family law continuing legal education seminars in Colorado. Almost 300 people attended this year's Institute. Terry Kelly's article "Canaanites, Catholics and the Constitution" has been published by RUTGER'S JOURNAL OF LAW AND RELIGION, and is available online at www.lawandreligion.com. in Vol 7. The article addresses the historical connections between culture, secular law and religious doctrine, and posits the application of equal protection principles to historical religious doctrines discriminating against women. Mr. Kelly is quite certain that no one has actually ever completely read the article, which is fine by him. In the Community
Terrance Kelly, Jerremy Ramp and Helen Guaneri continue to work on several pro bono family law matters, most of which have been taken through the Metro Volunteer Lawyers Program. Metro Volunteer Lawyers ("MVL") works with volunteer lawyers who perform free and low-cost legal services for poor and near-poor persons who live and work in the following Metropolitan Denver area counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, and Jefferson. See www.metrovolunteerlawyers.org Starting in January 2006, Woody Garnsey is the President of the Colorado Lawyer Trust Foundation (COLTAF) Board of Directors. Founded in 1982, COLTAF receives funds from interest earned on attorney client trust accounts that are mandated by the Colorado Supreme Court. COLTAF makes grants to Colorado non-profit organizations that, among other things, deliver civil legal services to disadvantaged Colorado residents. |
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