Criminal case
Brought by the state
Prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, an extremely high standard. The aim is punishment of the offender, such as incarceration or fines. The survivor is a witness, not the party in control.
Brighton, Colorado
Brighton Sexual Assault Civil Lawyers Who Hold Institutions Accountable
We represent survivors of sexual assault and abuse in civil claims across Brighton and Adams County. This path holds negligent institutions accountable and pursues real compensation on a track separate from any criminal case. You decide whether to move forward, and your first conversation with us stays confidential. We serve Brighton from our Denver office, about 24 miles north along US-85.
No fee unless we winOr speak with us privately now(303) 209-9395
You are in control
A confidential conversation, on your terms
There is no obligation and no public record when you reach out. We listen, explain your options, and move at a pace that respects you. Nothing is filed that you have not chosen.
- Protected as a prospective-client communication under Colorado's professional-conduct rules
- Jane Doe and John Doe filings available in many cases
- Bilingual, trauma-informed team
5-star rated on GoogleABOTA trial advocate on the teamConfidential, trauma-informedNo fee unless we win
A civil claim gives survivors of sexual assault and abuse in Brighton a way to seek compensation and hold negligent institutions accountable, entirely apart from any criminal prosecution.
- Civil claims use a lower standard of proof than criminal trials. You can bring a civil claim whether or not the Adams County District Attorney ever filed charges, and no matter how a criminal case turned out.
- Responsibility often extends past the individual to the school, employer, care facility, or organization whose negligence let the harm happen.
- Colorado removed the civil filing deadline for sexual misconduct claims effective January 1, 2022, and that change also reaches older claims that had not already expired by that date. Claims that were already too late under the previous deadline generally cannot be revived. Because that turns entirely on specific dates, we review your exact timeline before anything is filed.
CGH Injury Lawyers represents Brighton survivors with a confidential, trauma-informed approach. We serve Brighton from our Denver office, about 24 miles north along US-85, and we appear in Adams County District Court regularly. We take on the institution, the investigation, and the litigation, while you decide how and whether the case moves forward. Your first consultation is free.
Justice beyond the criminal courts
Why a civil claim matters for Brighton survivors
Criminal court and civil court are not two versions of the same process. The criminal court exists to punish an offender on behalf of the State of Colorado. Civil court exists to compensate you for what you actually lost and to make the institution that enabled the harm pay for the failure.
In Brighton, that distinction matters more than it might seem. The 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office, which prosecutes criminal cases out of Adams County, decides whether and what to charge based on its own resources and its own evidentiary bar. A survivor has no vote in that decision.
A declined charge, a plea to a lesser offense, or an acquittal does not by itself end a civil claim. A civil claim is yours to bring regardless of what the DA's office does with the criminal side.
For Brighton survivors specifically, a civil claim can accomplish three things a criminal case cannot:
- Real financial recovery for therapy, medical care, lost income, and the opportunities the abuse took from you.
- Pressure on the responsible institution to change how it hires, supervises, and reports, because a judgment or settlement is the one consequence an organization cannot ignore.
- A formal, on-the-record statement that what happened to you was wrong, in a process you help direct from the first phone call.
Two separate tracks
Civil versus criminal cases: the differences that matter
These two systems run on parallel tracks with different goals, different standards of proof, and different outcomes. Understanding the difference is the starting point for understanding your options in Brighton.
Civil case
Brought by the survivor
You must prove your case by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning it is more likely than not that the abuse occurred and caused harm. The aim is financial compensation and accountability. You decide whether and how to proceed.
Because the civil standard of proof is lower, a Brighton survivor can win a civil claim even after Adams County declines to file charges, after charges are dropped, or after a criminal jury returns a not-guilty verdict. Neither result automatically decides the other, though evidence developed in a criminal matter can still be relevant to a civil claim.
Your right to pursue civil compensation does not depend on how the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office handles the criminal side.
Institutional accountability
Who can be held liable beyond the individual?
A civil case can reach past the person who caused the harm to the organization that made it possible. In Colorado, an employer's admission that it is vicariously responsible for an employee no longer blocks a survivor from also bringing a direct claim against that employer for its own negligence. The legislature closed that loophole in 2021. That change matters because the institution, not the individual, is usually the party with the resources to pay a judgment that reflects the real harm done.
Theory of liability
Negligent hiring
An organization that places someone in a position of trust with children, patients, or other vulnerable people has a duty to screen that person first. Skipping a background check, or hiring despite a documented red flag, can create liability when harm follows.
Theory of liability
Negligent supervision
Hiring correctly is not the end of the duty. When supervisors receive a complaint about inappropriate behavior and let it sit, uninvestigated, they share responsibility for what happens next.
Theory of liability
Negligent retention
Sometimes an organization learns exactly what someone did and moves them instead of removing them. Keeping a known risk in a position to cause more harm is its own basis for liability, separate from the original hiring decision.
Theory of liability
Vicarious liability
An employer can be vicariously liable for an employee's conduct, but only when that conduct falls within the scope of employment, and courts frequently find that intentional sexual assault falls outside it. That is exactly why the direct negligence theories above, hiring, supervision, and retention, are usually the stronger and more commonly used path to hold an institution accountable.
Brighton entities commonly held accountable
- Schools, colleges, and universities serving Brighton, including School District 27J
- Religious organizations and youth ministries
- Youth-serving programs, camps, and sports leagues
- Rideshare and transit operators
- Hospitals, clinics, and psychiatric facilities
- Group homes and foster care agencies
- Assisted living and residential facilities
- Employers whose premises or supervision failed
Part of the work is tracing which Brighton institution created the conditions that allowed the abuse and then failed in its duty to stop it. We build that chain of responsibility while you focus on your own recovery, not on confronting an organization you once trusted by yourself.
It is not about reliving what happened. It is about reclaiming control and forcing the institutions that failed you to answer for it.
Colorado time limits
How much time do you have to file in Colorado?
Colorado rewrote the rules on this in recent years, and the change runs largely in survivors' favor. It is not unlimited, though, and the honest answer depends on dates specific to your situation. That is why a confidential review comes before any conclusion in either direction.
What Colorado law recognizes
- Effective January 1, 2022, Colorado removed the statute of limitations for civil claims based on sexual misconduct. There is no longer a deadline to sue for these claims (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7).
- That change is not limited to abuse occurring after 2022. If your old deadline had not yet expired as of January 1, 2022, the removal reaches back and applies to your claim too, which is a fact-specific question worth a confidential review.
- The removal covers claims against an institution or organization, not only the person who committed the abuse, so an entity that enabled the harm does not get a shorter clock than the perpetrator.
The one important limit, stated plainly
Colorado also passed a separate law, the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act, that tried to reopen childhood sexual abuse claims which had already run out of time under the older deadlines. In 2023 the Colorado Supreme Court struck that part down as unconstitutional (Aurora Public Schools v. A.S., 2023 CO 39). The practical effect is this: if a claim was still alive on January 1, 2022, there is no longer a deadline on it. If it had already expired before then, it generally cannot be revived. We will tell you honestly which side of that line your situation falls on.
One further wrinkle worth knowing up front: if the institution responsible is a government entity, such as a public school district, a separate and much shorter notice requirement can apply before a lawsuit is even filed. We identify whether that applies to your situation in the first conversation, so it never becomes a surprise later.
If you have assumed too much time has passed, that assumption may be out of date, or it may turn out to be right. Either way, you deserve a straight answer rather than a guess. We will look at your specific Brighton situation and tell you plainly where it stands.
Local knowledge
Brighton reporting. Adams County Justice Center. Platte Valley trauma care.
A Brighton civil case is grounded in Brighton and Adams County: the department you may report to, the hospital that treated you, and the courthouse where a lawsuit would be filed. None of it requires a criminal report first. Here is the ground we work on.
Reporting
Brighton Police Department
Sexual assault within Brighton city limits is investigated by the Brighton Police Department, working alongside the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office, which prosecutes Adams and Broomfield County cases and maintains a dedicated unit for sexual violence. A police report can support a civil claim later, but your civil case does not depend on one. Many survivors never file a criminal report at all, and that choice does not close off compensation or institutional accountability. Whether to report to police is your decision, and we walk through what each path means before you choose either one.
Trauma and forensic care
Platte Valley Medical Center (Level III Trauma Center)
Brighton's own hospital, Platte Valley Medical Center, is a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment-designated Level III Trauma Center. Medical and forensic records from a visit there document what happened to you and become part of the foundation of a civil damages claim. We work from those records while protecting their confidentiality throughout.
Courthouse
Adams County Justice Center (District Court)
Brighton is the seat of Adams County, so the courthouse itself is local: a civil lawsuit would be filed at the Adams County Justice Center, 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601, in Colorado's 17th Judicial District. Most civil claims resolve before ever reaching a courtroom, but we are prepared to try your case there if an institution will not be fair, and we handle Adams County District Court filings directly.
Compensation
What compensation can a Brighton civil claim recover?
The purpose of a civil claim is to make you whole for what the abuse actually cost you, in every sense Colorado law recognizes. That reaches further than most survivors expect going in.
Economic damages
- Therapy, psychiatric care, and medication
- Medical and hospitalization costs, including care that began at Platte Valley Medical Center
- Lost wages and missed work
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Other documented out-of-pocket costs tied to the abuse
Non-economic damages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium for a spouse or family
Colorado raised its cap on non-economic damages to $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5). Claims that accrued before that date fall under a lower cap set by earlier law, so which figure applies depends on when the claim arose. Economic damages, such as medical costs and lost income, are not capped under this provision.
Where the conduct involved an institutional cover-up or deliberate indifference to a known risk, Colorado law also allows punitive damages in some cases, meant not to compensate you but to punish the wrongdoer and deter the same conduct elsewhere. We work to document every dimension of harm so nothing is left off your claim.
Your privacy and safety
How we protect your privacy and your control
Fear of being publicly named is one of the most common reasons survivors delay coming forward. Colorado's civil courts offer real privacy protections, and using them from the start, rather than treating privacy as an afterthought, is how these cases should be run.
Anonymity
Jane Doe and John Doe filings
Courts frequently allow survivors to file under a pseudonym, so your real name does not have to appear in the public court file. This exists because requiring public identification discourages legitimate claims and can retraumatize the person bringing them. Whether a court grants it depends on the case, and we raise it early rather than late.
Protective orders
Sealed and restricted records
A court can seal sensitive filings, limit who is present for a deposition, and restrict how personal information uncovered during the case gets disclosed, so pursuing accountability does not become its own violation of your privacy.
Confidential from the start
A private first consultation
Your initial case evaluation is kept confidential and protected under Colorado's professional-conduct rules governing communications with prospective clients (Colo. RPC 1.18), from the first word you say. You can ask questions and weigh your options with no public record and no obligation to move forward.
Trauma-informed
A pace that respects you
Litigation handled carelessly can retraumatize a survivor. We allow support persons at meetings and build scheduling flexibility around difficult testimony. Court deadlines and discovery obligations do apply once a case is filed, and we explain those clearly rather than promising they do not exist.
How it works
How we handle your Brighton civil sexual abuse case
No two cases move identically, and we work at a pace that respects you within the deadlines a court sets. These are the stages most civil claims pass through, from a confidential first conversation to trial at the Adams County Justice Center if an institution refuses to be fair.
Confidential consultation
We listen, answer your questions, and explain your options at no cost, with no obligation to move forward.
Timeline and options review
We evaluate your specific timeline under Colorado law, including the 2022 elimination of the statute of limitations for sexual misconduct claims, the limit the Colorado Supreme Court placed on reviving already-expired claims, and any government-notice deadline that may apply.
Investigation
Through civil discovery, we obtain records you likely could not get on your own, including complaint histories, personnel files, and internal policies, to show how a Brighton institution failed in its duty to protect you.
Demand and negotiation
We document the full extent of the harm and pursue resolution with the responsible parties. Most civil cases resolve before trial, frequently through a confidential settlement.
Litigation and trial
When an institution will not be fair, we are prepared to try your case at the Adams County Justice Center. Courts often permit protective measures for sensitive testimony, and we prepare you thoroughly so you are never in a courtroom unprepared.
There is no correct timeline for being ready to come forward. Some survivors act quickly; others need years. Both are valid. What matters is that when you are ready, you understand your options and the protections available to you.
Your team
A team that handles institutions, and treats you with care
CGH Injury Lawyers is a Colorado personal injury firm, formerly Cheney Galluzzi & Howard. We are trial lawyers willing to take a case as far as it needs to go, and we handle sensitive matters with discretion, confidentiality, and respect for the survivor's decisions. We serve Brighton and Adams County from our Denver office.
ABOTA trial advocate on the teamInstitutional liability experienceTrauma-informed approachServing Brighton and Adams CountyBilingual EN / ESConfidential consultationNo fee unless we win
Frequently asked questions
Brighton civil sexual assault claims, frequently asked questions
Can I file a civil sexual assault claim in Brighton if no criminal charges were filed?
Yes. A civil claim belongs to you, not to the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office, and it runs separately from any criminal case. Civil claims use the lower preponderance-of-the-evidence standard, meaning it is more likely than not that the abuse occurred and caused harm, while a criminal conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. You can pursue a civil claim whether or not Brighton Police or Adams County prosecutors ever filed charges, and no matter how a criminal case turned out.
Can I hold a school, employer, or organization in Brighton liable, not just the individual?
Often, yes. Schools, employers, healthcare facilities, religious organizations, youth programs, and transportation companies can be held liable when they failed to screen properly, ignored earlier complaints, or otherwise let conditions exist that made the assault possible. These claims usually rely on negligent hiring, negligent supervision, and negligent retention rather than on vicarious liability, because courts frequently treat an intentional assault as outside the scope of employment. Institutional defendants in Adams County often have real resources to pay a claim.
Is it too late to file if the abuse happened years ago?
It depends on the dates, and it is worth checking rather than assuming. Colorado eliminated the statute of limitations for civil sexual misconduct claims effective January 1, 2022 (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7), so claims that were still within their deadline on that date can now be filed at any time. Claims that had already expired before January 1, 2022 generally cannot be revived, because in 2023 the Colorado Supreme Court struck down a separate law that had attempted to reopen them (Aurora Public Schools v. A.S., 2023 CO 39). A confidential review of your exact timeline is the way to find out which applies to you.
Will my name become public if I file a civil claim?
In many sexual abuse cases, courts allow survivors to file under a pseudonym, such as Jane Doe or John Doe, so your real name does not appear in the public court file. Courts can also issue protective orders sealing sensitive records and limiting who attends a deposition. These protections are commonly granted but are not automatic, so we ask for them early. Your first consultation with us is confidential under Colorado's rules on prospective-client communications, with no public record created.
What compensation can a civil sexual assault claim recover in Colorado?
Compensation can include medical and therapy expenses, lost wages, reduced future earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and, in some cases, punitive damages. Economic damages can cover care that began at a hospital like Platte Valley Medical Center along with ongoing psychological treatment. For claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, Colorado caps non-economic damages at $1.5 million; claims that accrued earlier fall under a lower cap set by earlier law. Economic damages are not capped under that provision.
Does CGH Injury Lawyers have an office in Brighton?
No. CGH Injury Lawyers has one office, at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205, about 24 miles south of Brighton along US-85. We represent Brighton and Adams County survivors from that office, appear at the Adams County Justice Center directly, and meet you wherever is private and convenient, including by phone or video. Call (303) 209-9395 or submit the form on this page. Your first consultation is free and confidential.
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CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Brighton, Adams County, and all of Colorado