A civil claim is separate from any criminal case. It is a path to compensation, institutional accountability, and a formal record of what happened, brought by you on your timeline. CGH Injury Lawyers represents Wheat Ridge survivors from our Denver office. Your first conversation is confidential. No fee unless we win.
No fee unless we winYou are in control
There is no obligation and no public record when you reach out. We explain your options, answer your questions, and move at a pace that respects you. Nothing happens that you have not chosen.
CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Wheat Ridge office. We represent Wheat Ridge survivors from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, and we travel to you. We handle the investigation, the institutions, 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 entirely different purposes. A criminal case, if it is ever brought, belongs to the prosecutor and the state. A civil claim belongs to you. It seeks to compensate the real harm you suffered and forces the individuals and organizations responsible to answer for what they failed to prevent.
For many survivors, the criminal process does not deliver accountability. Prosecutors may decline to file charges, the criminal burden of proof is extremely high, or years may have passed since the abuse. None of that ends your civil options in Colorado. A civil claim can proceed at any time for a sexual misconduct claim (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7), under a lower standard of proof, on a track entirely separate from any criminal case.
Colorado eliminated the civil statute of limitations for sexual misconduct effective January 1, 2022. This was not an accident. The legislature recognized that survivors often need years, sometimes decades, before they are ready or able to come forward. These are the specific rules that now govern Wheat Ridge civil claims.
If you assumed the door was closed because too much time had passed, it is worth a confidential call to confirm. Colorado's expansion of these windows was precisely designed for survivors who were not ready to come forward for years. We will tell you honestly where your claim stands.
One of the most important advantages of a civil claim is the ability to hold institutions accountable, not just the person who committed the assault. An organization that employed or supervised the abuser and failed to protect you often has both legal responsibility and the financial resources to provide meaningful compensation.
Theory of liability
Organizations have a duty to conduct reasonable background checks before placing someone in a position of trust with vulnerable people. A Jefferson County employer or institution that skipped that step or ignored prior complaints during the hiring process can be held responsible when harm follows.
Theory of liability
Even when hiring passes review, an organization must supervise its personnel adequately. Schools, healthcare facilities, and employers that received complaints about inappropriate behavior and failed to investigate or act carry responsibility for what happens afterward.
Theory of liability
When an organization learns of misconduct, red flags, or prior complaints and keeps the person in a position where further abuse is possible, it becomes liable for later harm. A quiet transfer rather than a termination is a classic negligent-retention fact pattern that we investigate closely.
Theory of liability
Property owners and operators have a duty to maintain reasonably safe premises. Where inadequate lighting, missing locks, broken security cameras, or the absence of security personnel created the opportunity for an assault, the property owner or manager may share liability alongside the individual perpetrator.
A civil sexual assault case filed from Wheat Ridge lives in Jefferson County. That means specific courts, specific hospital records, and specific institutions that we investigate directly. Here is the ground we work on.
Courthouse
A civil personal-injury or sexual assault lawsuit arising in Wheat Ridge, a Jefferson County city, is filed in Jefferson Combined Court (District Court), located at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, in the 1st Judicial District. That court sets the local procedural rules, handles motions for pseudonymous filings and protective orders, and supplies the jury pool for any trial. We file and try Jefferson County District Court cases directly. Knowing the bench, the local civil rules, and the defense firms that appear there regularly is part of the preparation we bring before we send a single demand letter.
Trauma and Medical Care
Survivors who require medical attention following a sexual assault in or near Wheat Ridge are often treated at Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital at 12911 W 40th Ave, which holds a Level II Trauma Center designation confirmed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Lutheran Hospital provides forensic nursing services and maintains records that document physical injuries. Those medical records become a critical part of your damages claim. We coordinate with your treating providers to ensure that nothing in your medical record goes undocumented.
Wheat Ridge Institutions and Corridors
Wheat Ridge is a Jefferson County city of approximately 32,000 residents positioned along the I-70 corridor at the base of the Front Range. Its commercial corridors on Wadsworth Boulevard (CO 121), Kipling Street (CO 391), and West 38th Avenue carry significant rideshare and transportation activity. Jefferson County R-1 school campuses, religious institutions, youth recreation programs at Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, Clear Creek Greenbelt parks, and commercial employers throughout the city create the institutional landscape we investigate when a survivor comes to us. Where an organization operating in this area failed in a duty to protect, we pursue it through Jefferson Combined Court.
CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Wheat Ridge office. We serve Wheat Ridge from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 and come to you. What we provide is the legal work, not a storefront on Wadsworth Boulevard.
It is not about reliving what happened. It is about forcing the institution that failed you to answer in a Jefferson County courtroom, on your terms.
Colorado law recognizes several categories of damages in sexual assault and abuse civil claims. Each case is different, and the value depends on the specific harm you suffered. Here is what the law allows.
For civil claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1,500,000 under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5. Economic damages, including therapy costs, medical expenses, lost wages, and future care, are never capped. In cases involving egregious conduct or institutional cover-up, courts may also award punitive damages under C.R.S. 13-21-102(1)(a), which are designed to punish willful and wanton misconduct and deter others. Punitive damages may not exceed the amount of actual damages awarded, and in cases of continued willful conduct a court may increase them up to three times that amount. We build every claim to capture the full range of what the law allows so nothing is left on the table.
Fear of public exposure is among the most common reasons survivors hesitate. Colorado's civil courts provide meaningful protections, and how we handle your case from the first phone call to any Jefferson County courtroom appearance is centered on your safety and your control.
Anonymity
Jefferson County District Court can allow a survivor to file a civil action under a pseudonym so your real name does not appear in public court records. We prepare and argue for this protection where the facts support it, and the court evaluates the request based on the sensitivity of the case and the risk of harm from public identification.
Protective orders
Courts can seal sensitive documents, restrict access to depositions, and limit public disclosure of personal information uncovered during discovery. These tools are particularly important when the defendant is an institution with public-facing operations or when sensitive medical and psychological records are part of the evidence.
Confidential from day one
Your initial case evaluation is fully protected by attorney-client privilege. There is no public record of the call, no obligation to proceed, and no requirement to share anything you are not ready to share. We listen, explain your options, and let you decide how and whether to move forward.
Trauma-informed pace
Litigation can be retraumatizing when handled without care. Our team allows support persons at meetings, builds in scheduling flexibility around difficult testimony, and explains every procedural step before asking you to take it. The civil process should not become another violation.
There is no deadline to be ready. What matters is that when you are ready, you understand exactly what is available to you and what the process involves. Here is how a Wheat Ridge civil claim moves from a private conversation to a Jefferson County courtroom when it needs to.
If you sought or plan to seek medical care, Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital at 12911 W 40th Ave is the Level II Trauma Center serving Wheat Ridge and provides forensic nursing services. Medical records that document physical injuries, psychological referrals, and emergency care become a foundation of the economic damages claim. Keep every record, bill, and discharge note you receive from any treating provider.
We listen, explain your civil options under Colorado law, and answer your questions. What you share is protected by attorney-client privilege. There is no obligation to proceed, and nothing happens that you have not chosen. You can reach us at (303) 209-9395.
Using civil discovery, we obtain records you likely cannot access on your own: personnel files, prior complaint histories, institutional policies, and internal communications that reveal what an organization knew and when it knew it. We retain experts in trauma, forensic psychology, and institutional practices when the case requires it to establish the full scope of the institution's failure.
We document all economic and non-economic harm, build the damages picture across every category Colorado law allows, and pursue resolution with the responsible parties. Most civil sexual abuse cases resolve before trial, frequently through confidential settlement. We negotiate from a position of full trial readiness, which changes what institutions are willing to pay.
When an institution refuses to be fair, we file in Jefferson Combined Court at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, and try your case. Courts in the 1st Judicial District often allow pseudonymous filings and sensitive testimony protections in sexual abuse matters. We prepare you thoroughly so you are never in that courtroom unprotected or unready.
CGH Injury Lawyers is a Colorado personal injury firm, formerly Cheney Galluzzi & Howard. Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2023. We are trial lawyers willing to take a civil sexual abuse case into Jefferson Combined Court when that is what it takes to achieve a fair result, and we handle every sensitive matter with discretion, confidentiality, and respect for the survivor's right to control the process.
No. Colorado eliminated the statute of limitations for civil claims based on sexual misconduct effective January 1, 2022 (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7). A survivor in Wheat Ridge or anywhere in Colorado may file a civil claim at any time. There is no look-back window and no annual adjustment. That open window also covers older claims if the original deadline had not yet expired by January 1, 2022. Because that analysis is fact-specific, a confidential case evaluation is the right way to confirm where your situation stands.
Yes. A civil claim is entirely separate from any criminal case. The decision whether to prosecute belongs to the prosecutor, not to you. A civil claim belongs to you. Criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which is an extremely high standard. Civil claims require only proof by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning it is more likely than not that the abuse occurred and caused you harm. Many survivors file civil claims after a prosecutor declines charges, after a criminal case is dismissed, or after a criminal jury returns a not-guilty verdict. None of those outcomes close the civil door.
Often, yes. Schools, employers, healthcare facilities, religious organizations, rideshare companies, and other institutions in Jefferson County may be held liable if they failed to conduct adequate background checks, ignored prior complaints about the person who assaulted you, kept the person in a position of trust after learning of misconduct, or failed to maintain reasonably safe premises. For survivors assaulted as minors in a youth program. Institutional liability is often where the meaningful financial recovery exists, because institutions have resources that individuals frequently do not.
Not necessarily. Jefferson County District Court can allow a survivor to file under a pseudonym such as Jane Doe or John Doe, so your real name does not appear in public court documents. Courts can also issue protective orders that seal sensitive records and restrict who may attend depositions. Your first consultation with CGH is fully confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege, with no public record of any kind. We discuss the specific anonymity protections available for your case at the outset, before anything is filed.
Wheat Ridge is a Jefferson County city. A civil personal-injury or sexual abuse lawsuit arising there is filed in Jefferson Combined Court (District Court) at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, in the 1st Judicial District. That courthouse handles motions for protective orders and pseudonymous filings in sensitive cases. We file and try Jefferson County District Court cases directly. Most civil sexual abuse cases resolve before trial through confidential settlement, but knowing the local rules and bench is part of the preparation we bring to every case from the beginning.
No. CGH Injury Lawyers has one office, at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Wheat Ridge and Jefferson County clients from that office, file cases in Jefferson Combined Court in Golden, and meet you wherever is convenient and comfortable for you. You can reach us at (303) 209-9395 for a confidential consultation.
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CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Wheat Ridge and Jefferson County
