A civil claim lets survivors of sexual assault and abuse seek compensation and hold negligent institutions accountable, on a separate track from any criminal case. We serve Lafayette and all of Boulder County from our Denver office. Your first conversation is confidential. You pay nothing unless we win.
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A civil claim for sexual assault in Lafayette gives survivors a path to financial compensation and institutional accountability that runs entirely separately from any criminal prosecution. You control it. You decide when and whether to move forward.
CGH Injury Lawyers represents survivors across Lafayette and Boulder County with a confidential, trauma-informed approach. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Lafayette office. We serve Lafayette clients from our single office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205, and travel to you. Lawsuits for Lafayette survivors are filed in the 20th Judicial District at Boulder County Combined Court. Your first consultation is free and protected by attorney-client privilege.
For many survivors, the most urgent question is: do I still have time? The answer under Colorado law is now almost always yes, and understanding exactly why matters before anything else is discussed.
Whether your abuse occurred recently or years ago, whether it happened near Waneka Lake Park, at a Lafayette school, at a healthcare facility near US 287, or anywhere else in Boulder County, we will evaluate your specific timeline honestly and tell you exactly where the law stands for your situation.
The criminal system focuses on punishing the offender. The civil system focuses on making the survivor whole and holding every responsible party accountable, including the institutions that enabled the harm.
Criminal case
Prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, an extremely high standard. The aim is punishment of the offender. The survivor is a witness, not the party in control, and the decision to charge or not belongs entirely to the prosecutor.
Civil case
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 when to proceed, and you keep control of every step.
Because the civil standard is lower, a survivor 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 legally independent. In Lafayette and across Boulder County, many survivors who received no outcome from the criminal system have pursued civil claims with meaningful results.
One of the most important aspects of a civil sexual assault case is the ability to hold institutions accountable, not just an individual. Organizations that employed, supervised, or provided access to an abuser, and failed in their duty of care, often bear legal responsibility and have 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, records, or known history can create liability when harm follows.
Theory of liability
Even with adequate hiring, organizations must actively supervise. When administrators receive reports of inappropriate conduct and fail to investigate or intervene, they share responsibility for subsequent harm.
Theory of liability
When an organization learns of misconduct or warning signs but keeps a person in a position to cause further harm, it becomes liable for later abuse. This pattern appears frequently when institutions transfer a known problem rather than remove it entirely.
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 employment relationship created the opportunity for the abuse to occur.
Identifying which institutions created the conditions that allowed harm to occur is central to the work. We use civil discovery to obtain complaint histories, personnel files, incident reports, and institutional policies that may never have been shared with law enforcement. Holding those organizations accountable also serves the community by forcing changes that protect others.
It is not about reliving what happened. It is about reclaiming control and forcing the institutions that failed you to answer for it.
Many survivors share the same fear: that coming forward will mean public exposure. Colorado courts provide meaningful protections, and protecting your privacy and your control is central to how these cases should be handled.
Anonymity
In many sexual abuse cases, Boulder County Combined Court allows survivors to file under a pseudonym so your real name does not appear in public court records. This protection exists precisely because forcing public identification can deter legitimate claims and cause further harm to survivors who have already endured enough.
Protective orders
Courts can seal sensitive documents, limit who attends depositions, and restrict disclosure of personal information uncovered during discovery, so the litigation 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 to proceed.
Trauma-informed
Our team understands that litigation can cause additional distress if handled carelessly. We allow support persons, schedule around your needs, and move at a pace that respects your emotional capacity and your decisions at every stage.
Colorado law recognizes multiple categories of damages in sexual assault and abuse cases, reaching both the documented financial harm and the profound human cost of what you have experienced.
In cases involving egregious conduct such as an institutional cover-up, deliberate indifference to known risk, or fraud, malice, or willful and wanton disregard for others, Colorado courts may also award punitive damages under C.R.S. 13-21-102. Punitive damages are not meant to compensate you; they are meant to punish the defendant and deter similar conduct. The maximum punitive award is equal to actual damages, though a court may increase it up to three times actual damages for continued willful and wanton conduct. Economic damages, including therapy and medical care, are never capped. We document every dimension of harm so that nothing is left out.
Every case is different and you set the pace. These are the stages most civil claims move through, from a confidential first conversation to litigation in Boulder County Combined Court 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. There is no obligation to proceed and no public record of your reaching out.
Using civil discovery, we obtain records you may not currently have, including complaint histories, personnel files, training logs, and institutional policies. We build the picture of how an organization created the conditions for harm and failed to stop it.
We document the full scope of harm, including ongoing therapy costs and lifetime impacts, and pursue resolution with the responsible parties. Many civil sexual abuse cases resolve through confidential settlement, allowing survivors to avoid a public trial if they prefer that outcome.
If an institution refuses a fair resolution, we file in the 20th Judicial District at Boulder County Combined Court, 1777 6th St., Boulder, CO 80302. We request protective measures for your testimony and prepare you thoroughly so you are never unprepared in a courtroom.
There is no right timeline for being ready to come forward. Some survivors seek legal counsel shortly after an assault. Others need years. Both paths are valid, and under C.R.S. 13-80-103.7, Colorado no longer penalizes survivors who need time before they can act.
A civil claim for a Lafayette survivor lives in Lafayette: the institution where the harm occurred, the hospital that may have treated you, and the courthouse where your case will be filed. Here is the ground we work on.
Courthouse
A civil sexual assault claim arising from a Lafayette institution is filed in the 20th Judicial District at Boulder County Combined Court, 1777 6th St., Boulder, CO 80302, phone (303) 441-3750. The local jury pool, the Boulder County judges, and the defense firms you will face all differ from those in other Front Range counties. We handle Boulder County Combined Court cases directly from our Denver office and do not need to be admitted pro hac vice to appear on your behalf. Jane Doe and John Doe pseudonym motions are filed in this court, and we have experience requesting the privacy protections these cases require.
Trauma Care
Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital at 200 Exempla Cir, Lafayette, CO 80026 is a 234-bed acute-care hospital and a designated Level II Trauma Center. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment first designated it in 2006, and the American College of Surgeons recertified it in February 2025. For survivors who sought emergency medical care in Lafayette, those hospital records document the immediate physical impact of an assault and become part of the damages foundation. Forensic evidence preserved at the time of care can also be critical to both civil and criminal proceedings.
Local Institutions and Settings
Lafayette's community includes school campuses along the SH 7 corridor near Centaurus High School, recreation facilities and trails around Waneka Lake Park and the Coal Creek Trail, youth sports programs in Old Town Lafayette near Public Road, and healthcare and medical offices distributed along the US 287 corridor. Civil sexual assault claims often arise from these institutional settings, where organizations had a duty of care and failed in it. Understanding the specific institution involved shapes the investigation strategy and the legal theories we pursue.
CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Lafayette office. We serve Lafayette and all of Boulder County from our single office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We travel to Lafayette clients, appear directly in Boulder County Combined Court, and handle every case with the same trial-ready preparation regardless of which party is across the table.
CGH Injury Lawyers is a eight-attorney Colorado personal injury firm founded in 2016, formerly Cheney Galluzzi & Howard. Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2023. Every Lafayette sexual assault civil case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney, not a paralegal. Our team approaches these cases with discretion, confidentiality, and deep respect for the survivor's control over every decision.
Frequently asked questions
For civil claims based on sexual misconduct, Colorado eliminated the statute of limitations effective January 1, 2022. Under C.R.S. 13-80-103.7, these claims can now be filed at any time. The open window also covers older abuse if the original deadline had not yet expired by January 1, 2022. That analysis is fact-specific, which is why a confidential case evaluation is the right starting point if you are uncertain where your timeline stands.
Yes. Civil and criminal cases are entirely separate proceedings with different standards of proof. A criminal case requires the state to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A civil case requires only that it is more likely than not that the assault occurred and caused you harm. A survivor can pursue a civil claim whether no charges were filed, whether charges were dropped, or even after a criminal acquittal. The outcome of any criminal case does not determine whether a civil claim can proceed.
Often, yes. Organizations have legal duties of care toward the people they serve, and when they fail in those duties by negligent hiring, inadequate supervision, or retaining a known bad actor, they can be held liable. For childhood sexual abuse, Colorado's. Schools, sports leagues, faith-based programs, and employers in Lafayette are all potential defendants when the facts support institutional liability.
In many sexual abuse cases, Boulder County Combined Court allows 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 sealing sensitive documents and restricting who may attend depositions. Your initial consultation is entirely confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege, with no public record of any kind. We discuss these specific protections with every survivor before any filing decision is made.
Recoverable damages include therapy and psychiatric care, emergency and follow-up medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress including PTSD and anxiety, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving institutional cover-ups or deliberate indifference, punitive damages may also be available under C.R.S. 13-21-102 when the defendant acted with fraud, malice, or willful and wanton disregard. Economic damages such as therapy costs and lost income are not capped under Colorado law.
No. Our single office is at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Lafayette and all of Boulder County as a service area from that office. We appear directly in Boulder County Combined Court in the 20th Judicial District on behalf of Lafayette clients and travel to meet clients at a location that works for them. A survivor consulting with us for the first time does not need to come to Denver to start the process.
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