Blogs

DENVER INJURY LAW, LLC

201 Columbine St., Ste. 150 #6888

Denver, CO 80206

Ph. 303-840-2222 (M-F, 9a-6p). 720-507-8773 (after hours)

Denver,  Colorado.  Colorado’s Top Personal Injury Law Firm® trial lawyer James Avery has filed a civil cause of action for sexual misconduct against a minor under the newly enacted Colorado law (SB021-088, CRS 13-20-1202) governing Sexual Misconduct Against Minors in in Arapahoe County District Court, Centennial, Colorado (Case No. 2022cv30065) on behalf of Angelica Saupe (a retired Colorado 911 dispatcher) against Aurora Public Schools and David James O'Neill Jr (a former Rangeview High School basketball/softball coach, Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader, and campus monitor). 

Plaintiff Angelica Saupe, age 35, claims that she was sexually abused as a minor (ages 14-17) for years (2000-2004) by Defendant David James O'Neill Jr., age 64, person in a position of trust as her basketball coach, at Aurora Public School’s Rangeview High School.  O'Neill, then age 43, was not reported and not charged at the time of the offense. Saupe complained to law enforcement in 2007, at age 20, and was told charges would not be filed.  Saupe has never been contacted by Aurora Public Schools, although she believes the School District was contacted by Aurora Police at the time of her complaint.

The newly enacted law (SB021-088), effective Jan 1, 2022, creates a new cause of action effectively setting aside time limits in cases going back to 1960. Victims have 3 years (until Jan. 1, 2025) to file previously time barred claims the new law.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages.  Damages under the new law, C.R.S. 13-20-1201, are capped at Five Hundred Thousand or One Million Dollars depending on the facts of the case. 

Denver trial lawyer James Avery comment on the new law:  "This is an unprecedented opportunity for justice where it is truly needed.  I have turned away dozens of clients who were sexually abused as children but who didn't come forward in time to file a case.  This new law gives them a remedy, albeit a limited one.  These victims invariably suffer for a lifetime and the abuse effects their families, their jobs, their social relationships, virtually every aspect of their lives.  To have this new tool in the arsenal to help them is a big step forward for society at large.   For the defendants in these heinous cases, its a day of reckoning.". This is one of five new case filings by Denver Injury Law LLC under the new Act.

DENVER INJURY LAW, LLC

201 Columbine St., Ste. 150 #6888

Denver, CO 80206

Ph. 303-840-2222 (M-F, 9a-6p). 720-507-8773 (after hours)

Denver,  Colorado.  Colorado’s Top Personal Injury Law Firm® trial lawyer James Avery has filed a civil cause of action for sexual misconduct against a minor under the newly enacted Colorado law (SB021-088, CRS 13-20-1202) governing Sexual Misconduct Against Minors in Arapahoe County District Court-Centennial, Colorado (Case No. 2022cv30137) on behalf of Cydny Norris (a former student at Smoky Hill (Aurora, CO) High School) againstCherry Creek School District and Perry Weisman, Sandy Smith, and Anton Durall Kaempfer  (all former Smoky Hill High School counselors or teachers).

Plaintiff Cydny Norris, age 59, claims that she was groomed beginning in 1975 at Campus Middle School, age 12 and sexually abused as a minor (ages 14-17) for years (1977 to 1980) by Defendant Anton Durall Kaempfer, age 31, a person in a position of trust as her guidance counselor, at Cherry Creek Schools' Smoky Hill High School.  Kaempfer, an adult, now age 77, was not reported and not charged at the time of the offense, although Norris alleges other counselors and teachers were aware of the misconduct.  Norris complained to law enforcement in 2015 and Boulder Sheriff Office refused to take a complaint.  Norris has never been informed of any investigation by Cherry Creek School District, although she believes the misconduct was reported to the School District by a whistle blower in 1993.

The newly enacted law (SB021-088), effective Jan 1, 2022, creates a new cause of action effectively setting aside time limits in cases going back to 1960. Victims have 3 years (until Jan. 1, 2025) to file previously time barred claims the new law.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages.  Damages under the new law, C.R.S. 13-20-1201, are capped at Five Hundred Thousand or One Million Dollars depending on the facts of the case. 

Denver trial lawyer James Avery comment on the new law:  "This is an unprecedented opportunity for justice where it is truly needed.  I have turned away dozens of clients who were sexually abused as children but who didn't come forward in time to file a case.  This new law gives them a remedy, albeit a limited one.  These victims invariably suffer for a lifetime and the abuse effects their families, their jobs, their social relationships, virtually every aspect of their lives.  To have this new tool in the arsenal to help them is a big step forward for society at large.   For the defendants in these heinous cases, its a day of reckoning." This is the fifth case filed by Avery under the new law. [end]

Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary is pleased to share with you this inspirational video From Solitude to Serenity: The Story of Lucky. Lucky's story is indeed a story of which movies are made - from near death, to rescue, to near death again, and then to his final rescue by the townspeople of Lyons, Colorado and forever home at Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary (Erie, CO). This is the feel-good story we all need right now. 

https://youtu.be/WYtlI9WYd0E

Luvin Arms is a nonprofit animal sanctuary for abused and neglected farmed animals, based in Erie, Colorado. Luvin Arms is working to provide exceptional lifelong social, emotional, and cognitive care for their animal residents, and to advocate for those who have not been rescued by sharing their residents’ stories to inspire, educate, and empower others to embrace a more compassionate and sustainable lifestyle.

https://luvinarms.org

Press Release:

DENVER INJURY LAW, LLC, 4450 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, 
Ph. 303-840-2222 (M-F, 9a-6p). 720-507-8773 (after hours).

Boulder, Colorado. Colorado’s Top Personal Injury Law Firm® trial lawyer James Avery has filed a civil cause of action for sexual misconduct against a minor under the newly enacted Colorado law (SB021- 088, CRS 13-20-1202) governing Sexual Misconduct Against Minors in Boulder County District Court- Boulder, Colorado (Case No. 2022cv30042) on behalf of Brian Coursey (a former basketball player at Broomfield (CO) High School) against Boulder Valley School District and Robert T. Osborne, Jr (a former Broomfield (CO) High School freshman basketball coach).

Plaintiff Brian Coursey, age 47, claims that he was sexually abused as a minor (ages 14-15) for years (1989-90) by Defendant Robert T. Osborne, Jr., age 40, a person in a position of trust as his freshman basketball coach, at Boulder Valley School’s Broomfield High School. Osborne, an adult, was not reported and not charged at the time of the offense.

Coursey complained to law enforcement in 1993 and Osborne was found guilty of charges related to sexual assault on a child and sentenced to jail. Coursey has never been contacted by Boulder Valley School District, although he believes the School District was contacted by the Boulder Sheriff Office at the time of his complaint.

The newly enacted law (SB021-088), effective Jan 1, 2022, creates a new cause of action effectively setting aside time limits in cases going back to 1960. Victims have 3 years (until Jan. 1, 2025) to file previously time barred claims the new law.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages. Damages under the new law, C.R.S. 13- 20-1201, are capped at Five Hundred Thousand or One Million Dollars depending on the facts of the case.

Denver trial lawyer James Avery comment on the new law: "This is an unprecedented opportunity for justice where it is truly needed. I have turned away dozens of clients who were sexually abused as children but who didn't come forward in time to file a case. This new law gives them a remedy, albeit a limited one. These victims invariably suffer for a lifetime and the abuse effects their families, their jobs, their social relationships, virtually every aspect of their lives. To have this new tool in the arsenal to help them is a big step forward for society at large. For the defendants in these heinous cases, its a day of reckoning."

NEWS PRESS RELEASE

Contact for more information:

Juli Arnold

Marketing and Communications Manager

juli@luvinarms.org

Erie Sanctuary Offers Additional Grief Resources for Community Impacted by Marshall Fire

Jan. 21, 2022 – Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary is offering some special grief resources for all community members who were impacted by the recent catastrophic fire. For the next six Saturdays (Jan. 22-Feb. 26, 12-3PM MST), Luvin Arms will open its doors to all for Connect and Cuddle Time with their animal residents. Cuddling with the Luvin Arms’ residents can alleviate stress, and provides a sense of comfort, hope, and peace during difficult times. 

In addition, Superior-based grief counselor Richard Mercer will facilitate pet loss grief support groups in January and February for those who lost their beloved companion animals due to the fire.

“Our community has been so deeply impacted by this incredibly tragic event,” said Executive Director Shartrina White. “Luvin Arms is a community hub where people truly feel this is a place of sanctuary for all beings.  At the Sanctuary, we are providing Pet Loss Grief Support Groups where participants also get to spend time and hug our rescued residents who love, want, and need the attention. Our residents understand trauma on a deep and profound level because they too have suffered tremendously.”

Luvin Arms is a nonprofit animal sanctuary for abused and neglected farmed animals, based in Erie, Colorado. Luvin Arms is working to provide exceptional lifelong social, emotional, and cognitive care for their animal residents, and to advocate for those who have not been rescued by sharing their residents’ stories to inspire, educate, and empower others to embrace a more compassionate and sustainable lifestyle.

For more information, please visit: 

https://luvinarms.org/petlossgriefsupport

To sign up for Connect and Cuddle Time, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd8GTpNOmEBplRoe7MrPyqdwqk50lMZRStvyqetm9Vy2aTrxw/viewform

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The Marshall Fire has been etched in our daily, emotional, community and spiritual lives. Write about it!

We are a group of writers and photographers, amateur and professional, in formation to promote the recording of direct experiences by those affected by the Marshall Fire in Colorado, December 30, 2021.

Our goals are to support the therapeutical powers of expression, to create a living account of the fire and a year of recovery, and to celebrate our community's resilience. We plan to share these writings with the local historical groups and libraries, and to compile and publish an edited collection in a non-commercial manner.

At this time, we are Darcy Sherman, Superior, of Sassasfras Photography, Kathleen Renk, Longmont, fiction author, and Peter Rousmaniere, Louisville, retired journalist who has written about disasters (Katrina, 9/11, etc) You can reach us at pfr@rousmaniere.com 802-291-3843

Please visit our January Survey, tell us your story: 

https://forms.gle/cdD4q1bMyhTkgzgo8

NEWS PRESS RELEASE

Contact for more information:

Juli Arnold

Marketing and Communications Manager

juli@luvinarms.org

Luvin Arms Debuts New Film: From Solitude to Serenity: The Story of Lucky 

Jan. 12, 2022 – The second film from Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary and JB Productions chronicles the incredible story of Lucky the Cow. Lucky was destined for slaughter in November 2021, but through his unrelenting pursuit of connection with the townspeople of Lyons, Colorado, he saved his own life. 

This virtual film premiere on Saturday, January 15 at 6:30pm MST will include a live discussion of the film, as well as a Q&A after the film with the filmmakers, the founders of Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary, and Lucky’s rescuers.

“It was incredibly inspiring to film Lucky’s story,” said Luvin Arms’ videographer, John Burton. “He reminds us all that connection is the gateway to the freedom and joy that all living beings on this planet deserve.”

Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary will also launch an exciting new program on the Patreon platform at the film debut. Patreon will offer Luvin Arms’ patrons exclusive Sanctuary content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

Luvin Arms is a nonprofit animal sanctuary for abused and neglected farmed animals, based in Erie, Colorado. Luvin Arms is working to provide exceptional lifelong social, emotional, and cognitive care for their animal residents, and to advocate for those who have not been rescued by sharing their residents’ stories to inspire, educate, and empower others to embrace a more compassionate and sustainable lifestyle.

For more information, please visit: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/from-solitude/register/, https://www.patreon.com/luvinarms/, and https://bit.ly/32OOYrR/. Also, please find the film trailer here: https://youtu.be/_t1AGRCZejw.

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NEWS PRESS RELEASE

Contact for more information:

Juli Arnold

Marketing and Communications Manager

juli@luvinarms.org

Colorado Animal Sanctuary Hosts Event to Support Community Impacted by Marshall Fire

Jan. 11, 2022 – The fire that swept through the tight-knit communities of Louisville, Superior, and Unincorporated Boulder County on December 30, 2021 has caused so much destruction and suffering, including the devastating loss of countless beloved companion animals. Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary is hosting a special pet loss grief support group event for members of those communities, giving them the opportunity to share stories, receive much needed emotional support, and connect with some of the Luvin Arms’ animal residents who have survived their own experiences with trauma and grief. 

The event will be facilitated by Richard Mercer, a Superior-based hospice grief counselor who also volunteers as a pet loss grief group facilitator. “My intention for our time together is for us to create a healing place where we might experience some respite and supportive companionship while we heal in our grief, “ said Mercer. “This can only exist when we feel safe.”

The event will be held on Sunday, January 23 at 1:00pm Mtn at the Erie-based Sanctuary. Community members have the option to attend the event virtually.

Luvin Arms is a nonprofit animal sanctuary for abused and neglected farmed animals, based in Erie, Colorado. Luvin Arms is working to provide exceptional lifelong social, emotional, and cognitive care for their animal residents, and to advocate for those who have not been rescued by sharing their residents’ stories to inspire, educate, and empower others to embrace a more compassionate and sustainable lifestyle.

For more information, please visit: https://luvinarms.org/petlossgriefsupport.

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We lost our Louisville home in the Marshall Fire, 12-30-2021

Since I couldn't sleep, I wrote down my thoughts about the experience. Perhaps others of you can relate...

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It’s 3am, Saturday, and I’m wearing the same clothes I had on when I fled my Louisville home two days ago as flames and smoke bore down on us from the north, the west, and the south. I have little else to wear.

We moved into our Louisville neighborhood 30 years ago, into one of only four homes that existed in a rolling pastureland southeast of Boulder. Three of those homes are still occupied by original owners, all good friends of ours, now. Additional homes were built. New neighbors, new friends. As a tightly knit community, we’ve celebrated births, holidays, graduations, retirements, and weddings together. We’ve endured hail, floods, and two years of pandemic together. Now we’ve experienced fire together.

Tomorrow we will gather in our cul-de-sac and talk about our future together, or sadly, perhaps apart.

I’ve passed through a bewildering variety of states and experienced an entire spectrum of emotions in the last forty-eight hours: concern, disbelief, excitement, dawning awareness, panic, anticipation, fear, anger, loss, frustration, despair, and resolve.

I sit here, jerked awake at the witching hour by another moment of panic, still smelling of smoke. I realize I’m the proud owner of a square concrete hole in the ground filled with dust, ash, twisted metal, and memories.

Tears come. I remember:

We evacuate on Thursday afternoon to my daughter’s house in Denver. Our son is on the phone. My brother. We had all just Zoomed together on Christmas Day. We spend every waking moment texting and emailing, hungry for the newsfeed playing before us. Video from South Boulder Road, hillsides to the south of Superior, Avista hospital, and Harper Lake, a place I walk nearly every evening. A place I know intimately. What of the geese?

As awareness of the devastation begins to spread, so many friends, family members, and colleagues offer so much. I tell them, and I believe, that this is a liberating opportunity. A chance to revisit the many decisions and choices that brought me here. A chance to pick a new path. I ask myself how it can be an opportunity when it throws me to the ground and seems to offer no quarter. But it is.

As for that new path? Fewer things, I guess, as a start. Everything I own fits in my Subaru now. Every. Single. Thing.

Flashes of objects I should have grabbed in the mad rush haunt me: heirlooms, paintings, drawings, tools my dad crafted by hand. My guitar. Scribbles created by my young children. It hurts. Terribly.

Still, there are things we have done; things we have created, written, and sung; food we have cooked and shared; music we have performed. Our laughter. Our tears. Parts of us are out there in the world, parts of other persons’ lives now. Not burned away. There is solace in that.

Now, my wife Debbie and I need to find a place to stay while we figure out how, and what, to rebuild. A home better aligned to a 2022 version of us. Simpler. Smaller. Fewer stairs. Fewer bedrooms. More windows on the south side. A roof better angled for solar panels. More shop space. A deck outside where we can sit and chat with our neighbors and friends on a gorgeous Colorado day. Better fire-resistance.

We are tough, we Coloradans. We folk of Louisville. We neighbors of Larkspur Court. We do things and we care deeply: About each other. About our environment. About fairness and honesty.

We will get through this, each of us, good friends. But that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt. Please stay close.

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