Ex-aide slaps Colorado Democrat with retaliation suit

A former aide to a Colorado House Democrat says she faced retaliation for refusing to work on campaign activities.DENVER (CN) — A former legislative aide sued the Colorado state representative she worked for Friday claiming she faced retaliation for refusing to work on the politician’s reelection campaign.“Other incidents of misconduct that have gone unaddressed are either unreported because aides are so unconfident in the House Democrats’ workplace management practices,” plaintiff Jennifer Chick says in a 26-page complaint.Chick worked as a legislative aide for state Representative Sheila Lieder, a Democrat, from December 2022 through Aug. 13, 2024, when she resigned over what she says was the politician’s “unbearable, continued retaliation.”Chick says working for Lieder was so stressful she developed post-traumatic stress disorder. When she tried to take medical leave to address the condition however, she says she encountered hurdles to using her disability insurance.She also claims Lieder disparaged her work and told others she had communication problems. Lieder also attempted to block Chick from taking a vacation shortly before she quit, Chick says.During her time in the statehouse, Chick claims she saw Lieder violating prohibitions on conducting campaign activities at the Legislature and on the public dime. She also declined to work on Lieder’s reelection campaign because her political beliefs did not align with Lieder’s, saying her former employer has “anti-worker conduct and opinions.”Chick says she also worried Lieder was asking her to work campaign events without pay, an assumption that was strengthened when Lieder asked her to train an intern on campaign-related activities even though they were at the Capitol and the intern had no contract in place.She also accuses Lieder of conducting fundraising activities at multiple events where she was attending as an elected representative, not as a candidate.In the complaint, Chick argues the House Democrats’ pay scheme leaves staffers like her vulnerable to abuse since the representatives have sole discretion to approve hours than an aide actually works and can cut their pay with little recourse. Chick says she feared Lieder would refuse to pay her for all the hours she worked and then reduce her future scheduled hours.In addition, Chick raised concerns that party leaders are responsible for investigating staff complaints, creating a system that is “inherently politicized and therefore nonobjective.”“This byzantine and hyper-political personnel management system sets the scene for the retaliation and abusive conduct that defendant Lieder subjected Ms. Chick to while Ms. Chick was employed as defendant Lieder’s legislative aide,” Chick says in the complaint.In addition to Lieder, Chick names House Speaker House Julie McCluskie and Majority Leader Monica Duran as defendants. She says McCluskie and Duran act as “human relations managers for employees of elected Democrats,” and are responsible for fielding employment complaints from aides.Although Chick finally reported Lieder after she quit, she said McCluskie miscategorized the issue as one of “expectations” rather than harassment.Chick says the failure to provide legislative aides with meaningful protections violated her 14th Amendment right to due process.Chick is not the first legislative aide to speak out against mistreatment this year.Earlier this year, a Denver jury found state Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis guilty of four felony charges — one count of attempting to influence a public servant and three counts of forgery — after she attempted to interfere with an investigation into claims she too had mistreated an aide. Jaquez Lewis was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and resigned from office.Chick is represented by Vanguard Justice attorney Elisabeth Owen, who did not immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Emails sent to Lieder, McCluskie and Duran were not immediately answered.The case has been assigned to Second Judicial District Judge Angela Boykins, an appointee of Democratic Governor Jared Polis.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads