Source: https://www.coloradospringscolawyer.com/blogs.html
Timestamp: 2018-10-19 23:07:14
Document Index: 151354908

Matched Legal Cases: ['§13', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§26', '§13', '§8', '§8']

Whether you're the party requesting a civil protection order or the restrained party defending against one, there are a few things you should understand and consider before attempting to represent yourself. When finding yourself in these situations, it is always best to consult an attorney.
C.R.S. 13-14-100.2 allow Colorado citizens access to civil protection orders to encourage safety and reduce violence or the threat of violence. In particular, civil protection orders protect against domestic violence (C.R.S. §13-14-101(2)), stalking (C.R.S. §18-3-602), sexual assault (C.R.S. §18-3-402(1)), unlawful sexual contact (C.R.S. §18-3-404) and abuse of an elderly or at-risk adult (C.R.S. §26-3.1-101(1) & (7)) and/or physical assault, threats of violence or other circumstances which would lead to violence. C.R.S. 13-14-101
Where the parties involved are also involved in a domestic dispute (divorce, child custody, etc), the court will likely hear the civil protection order matter in your domestic relations case rather than opening a separate county court case. In these cases, the court may modify the civil protection order to allow the parties to communicate regarding the domestic case or any children involved (C.R.S. §13-14-108) Civil protection orders occur all too often in the context of domestic disputes. This can have a devastating effect on you, your children, your routine, and your life.
Colorado small business owners are often not aware of the requirement to carry workers' compensation coverage or whether the requirement applies to their business. As a general rule, if your business is registered with the State of Colorado and you employ another or you draw W2 income from your business you should carry workers' compensation or where possible complete an exemption with your insurer and provide that exemption to the Division of Workers' Compensation. If your business falls within the umbrella of construction, then you have to carrier coverage regardless of whether you have employees. Additionally, hiring independent contractors does not shield you from workers' compensation liability, when hiring independent contractors, it's the employer's duty to ensure the contractor is properly insured. This can be done by requesting current certificates of insurance from the contractor.
Under the existing law, small business owners are liable for fines up to $250.00 a day for initial violations and up to $500.00 dollars a day for subsequent violation (see C.R.S. §8-43-409). The Division of Workers' Compensation does not have to find that the employer intentionally violated the regulatory requirement to carry workers' compensation insurance. Rather, the Division only needs to show an employer failed to carry coverage during a period of time that it was statutorily obligated to do so. Furthermore, under the existing law, the Division does not have a duty to inform an employer of a mounting penalty and has a record of not letting business know of the fine until years after non-compliance has begun. The fine has no statute of limitation limiting the fine nor a ceiling beyond which the Division will cap the fine. The result has been fines accumulating to over $800,000.00. Recently, fines like these have made news throughout Colorado.
While Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.) §8-40-102, states the purpose of the Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado is to ensure “the quick and efficient delivery of disability and medical benefits to injured workers at a reasonable cost to employer…,” the penalty provisions of the statute threaten to close small business due to the heft of the fine. The penalty provisions don't differentiate between a businesses with one employee or businesses with one hundred employees; a small business will be fined in the same way as a Walmart. Thus, for small businesses with small profit margins, fines for failure to carry workers' compensation coverage has created a two-strike system in Colorado for small businesses. The Division is generally willing to settle an initial fine, but subsequent violations are generally not as easy to resolve and the fine is not uncommonly shocking to the conscience. It should be noted that if an employer has had an employee injury during the period of non-compliance, then the Division will not negotiate a reduction of the fine.
An employer may reach out to the Division of Workers' Compensation to attempt to negotiate a fine, but that's not recommended. Communication with the Division may subject the employer to a higher fine and fail to preserve issues on appeal. The nature of the fine is such that the initial notification from the Division of the fine begins an adversarial process where the employer needs to carefully navigate in order to protect and preserve due process rights. Generally speaking, administrative agencies, like the Division of Workers' Compensation, have their own internal set of rules and provided wide latitude. Therefore, before attempting to appeal to or negotiate fines like these, an employer should consult an attorney experienced with regulatory fines, as failure to properly manage the process following the fine could end in ruin of the business.
The mediator's role is to help the disputing parties attempt to reach an agreement they both feel is fair. A mediator does not give legal advice but may make suggestions in order to help the parties reach an agreement.
This blog is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Your particular situation requires specific advice that takes into account the specific facts of your situation, your needs and other factors. The appropriate legal advice for your situation may be different from the general information provided. Pierce Elliott Law, PLLC cannot be responsible for your decision to use information found on the internet instead of hiring an attorney.
The legal information presented is based on Colorado law and Colorado courts. Although federal law may be discussed here, the law may be applied or interpreted differently by both federal and state courts outside of Colorado. Do not assume the information presented here is true for individuals or entities in other states.