Denver, Colorado
We represent survivors of sexual assault and abuse in civil claims across Denver. This is a path to compensation and institutional accountability, separate from any criminal case the Denver District Attorney may pursue. You decide every step, and your first conversation with us is confidential.
No fee unless we winIt's More Than Money.
You are in control
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 happens that you have not chosen.
A civil claim lets Denver survivors of sexual assault and abuse seek compensation and hold negligent institutions accountable, on a separate track from criminal prosecution.
CGH Injury Lawyers represents survivors across Denver with a confidential, trauma-informed approach. We keep a physical office at 2701 Lawrence St. in Denver's RiNo and Five Points area, and we handle the institutions, the investigation, and the litigation while you keep control of every decision. Your first consultation is free and protected by attorney-client privilege.
The criminal system and the civil system serve different purposes. Criminal courts focus on punishing an offender. Civil courts focus on making a survivor whole, providing the resources to heal and forcing institutions to answer for their failures.
For many survivors, the criminal process does not deliver accountability. Prosecutors may decline to file charges, deadlines may have passed, or a high burden of proof can lead to an acquittal despite compelling evidence. A civil claim offers a separate path that you, not the state, control.
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 Denver.
Because the civil standard is lower, you can win a civil case even when no criminal charges were filed, when charges were dropped, or when a criminal jury returned a not-guilty verdict. The two outcomes are independent, and a civil claim is yours to pursue regardless of what a prosecutor decides.
A Denver civil sexual assault case lives in Denver: the courthouse where it may be filed, the trauma and healthcare records that document your harm, and the office where your attorney actually works. Here is the ground we work on.
Courthouse
Civil cases that arise in Denver County are filed in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, with civil matters heard at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Denver civil procedure differs from suburban courts, and the judges, local rules, and defense firms you face are Denver-specific. We handle Denver District Court cases directly from our office nearby in the RiNo and Five Points area.
Medical records
Denver Health Medical Center, the region's Level I trauma center at 777 Bannock St., along with Saint Joseph Hospital, Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, and Rose Medical Center, treat survivors across the metro. Medical, psychiatric, and therapy records document the full scope of your harm and become part of the factual core of a civil damages claim. We gather records from every treating facility.
A real office
Our office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, in Denver's RiNo and Five Points neighborhood is where your attorney works. You can meet the team in person, in private, and plan your case at a pace that respects you. It is not a P.O. box or a borrowed conference room.
One of the most important parts of a civil case is the ability to hold institutions accountable, not just an individual. An organization that placed an abuser in a position of trust and failed to protect you often bears legal responsibility, and often has the resources to provide meaningful compensation.
Theory of liability
Organizations must conduct reasonable background checks before placing someone in a position of trust with vulnerable people. Hiring without checking prior complaints or history can create liability when harm follows.
Theory of liability
Even with adequate hiring, organizations must properly supervise. When administrators receive complaints about inappropriate behavior and fail to investigate or act, they share responsibility for what follows.
Theory of liability
When an organization learns of misconduct or red flags but keeps a person in a position to cause harm, it becomes liable for later abuse. This is common where institutions quietly transferred a known problem rather than removing it.
Theory of liability
In certain circumstances an employer can be held responsible for the acts of an employee within the scope of employment, particularly when the relationship created the opportunity for abuse.
The work is identifying not only who caused the harm, but which institutions created the conditions that allowed it and failed in their duty to protect you. We investigate that chain of responsibility while supporting you through what can be a difficult process of confronting an organization you once trusted.
It is not about reliving what happened. It is about reclaiming control and forcing the institutions that failed you to answer for it.
Colorado has expanded the civil filing windows for sexual misconduct and childhood sexual abuse over recent years. Because these deadlines are specific and the stakes are high, the safest step is a confidential review of your exact timeline before you assume a claim is too late.
If you have thought that it happened too long ago, you may still have options. These laws were written precisely because survivors often need years, sometimes decades, before they are ready to come forward. We will evaluate your specific situation and tell you honestly where it stands.
A civil claim seeks to make you whole by compensating the harm you have suffered. Colorado law recognizes several categories of damages in sexual abuse and assault cases.
In cases involving egregious conduct, such as an institutional cover-up or deliberate indifference to a known risk, Colorado courts may also award punitive damages. These are not meant to compensate you, but to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct by others. We work to identify and document every dimension of harm so nothing is left out of your claim.
A common fear survivors share is public exposure. Colorado's legal system provides meaningful privacy protections, and your safety is central to how these cases should be handled, not an afterthought.
Anonymity
In many cases courts allow survivors to file under a pseudonym so your real name does not appear in public court records. This protection recognizes that forcing public identification can deter legitimate claims and cause further harm.
Protective orders
Courts can seal sensitive documents, limit who may attend depositions, and restrict disclosure of personal information uncovered during a case, so the process does not become another violation of your privacy.
Confidential from the start
Your initial case evaluation is completely confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege. You can explore your options and decide whether to move forward with no public record and no obligation.
Trauma-informed
Our team understands that litigation can be retraumatizing if handled carelessly. We allow support persons, build in scheduling flexibility for difficult testimony, and move at a pace that respects your emotional capacity.
Every case is different, and you set the pace. These are the stages most civil claims move through, from a confidential first conversation to trial when an institution refuses to be fair.
We listen, explain your options, and answer your questions at no cost. What you share is protected by attorney-client privilege, and there is no obligation to proceed.
We evaluate your exact timeline under Colorado law, including the elimination of the statute of limitations for sexual misconduct claims effective January 1, 2022 (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7), so you understand whether and how a claim can move forward.
Using civil discovery, we obtain records you may not have, such as complaint histories, personnel files, and institutional policies, to establish how an organization failed in its duty to protect you.
We document the full harm and pursue resolution with the responsible parties. Most civil cases resolve before trial, often through confidential settlement.
If an institution will not be fair, we are prepared to try your case in Denver District Court. Courts often allow protective measures for sensitive testimony, and we prepare you thoroughly so you are never in a courtroom unprotected.
There is no right timeline for being ready. Some survivors come forward soon after; others need years. Both paths are valid. What matters is that when you are ready, you understand your options and the protections available to you.
A criminal case is brought by the state and focuses on punishing the offender, potentially with jail time or fines. A civil claim is brought by the survivor seeking financial compensation for harm such as therapy costs, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, while civil cases use the lower preponderance-of-the-evidence standard. You can pursue a civil claim in Denver regardless of whether the Denver District Attorney files charges or how a criminal case ends.
Often, yes. Schools, employers, healthcare facilities, religious organizations, youth programs, and transportation companies may be held liable if they failed to provide adequate safeguards, ignored prior complaints, or otherwise contributed to conditions that enabled the assault. Holding an institution accountable can secure meaningful compensation and help prevent future harm. These claims rest on theories such as negligent hiring, supervision, and retention, and we evaluate whether the organization where your assault occurred bears legal responsibility.
Not necessarily. For civil claims based on sexual misconduct, Colorado eliminated the statute of limitations effective January 1, 2022. These claims can now be filed at any time (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7). That open window also covers older abuse if the old deadline had not yet expired by January 1, 2022, which is a fact-specific analysis worth a confidential review of your exact timeline.
Compensation can cover therapy and psychiatric care, medical expenses, lost wages, reduced future earning capacity, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. In cases involving egregious conduct, such as an institutional cover-up or deliberate indifference to a known risk, Colorado courts may also award punitive damages, which are meant to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct. We document every dimension of harm so nothing is left out of your 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 public court records. Courts can also issue protective orders that seal sensitive records and limit who may attend depositions. Your first consultation is confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege, with no public record.
Civil cases that arise in Denver County are filed in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, with civil matters heard at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Most civil claims resolve before trial, often through confidential settlement, but where a case would be filed shapes the local rules, the jury pool, and which defense firms and insurers you face. We handle Denver District Court cases directly from our office in the RiNo and Five Points area.
Yes. A civil claim is independent of the criminal process. Because the civil standard of proof is lower than the criminal one, you can win a civil case even when no criminal charges were filed, when charges were dropped, or when a criminal jury returned a not-guilty verdict. The two outcomes do not depend on each other, and the decision to pursue a civil claim is yours, not the prosecutor's.
It's More Than Money.
Free, confidential consultation. No fee unless we win. Available in Denver, in English and Spanish.
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CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205
