Opinion ID: 2642857
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statutory Interpretation in Colorado

Text: We take guidance from case law on interpreting Colorado statutes. “When interpreting a statute,” a court’s “task is to give effect to the intent of the general assembly.” Klinger v. Adams Cnty. Sch. Dist. No. 50, 130 P.3d 1027, 1031 (Colo. 2006) (en banc). “When interpreting the general assembly's intent,” a court should “turn first to the language of the statute,” reading the “words and phrases in context and constru[ing] them literally according to common usage unless they have acquired a technical meaning -3- by legislative definition.” Id.; see also People v. Yascavage, 101 P.3d 1090, 1093 (Colo. 2004) (en banc). If the statutory language is “clear and unambiguous,” our analysis ends. Slack v. Farmers Ins. Exch., 5 P.3d 280, 284 (Colo. 2000) (en banc). If the language is ambiguous, we turn to “other factors such as legislative history, the consequences of a given construction, and the end to be achieved by the statute.” Klinger, 130 P.3d at 1031; see also Yascavage, 101 P.3d at 1093. In Colorado, “a contractual provision is void if the interest in enforcing the provision is clearly outweighed by a contrary public policy.” FDIC v. Am. 21 Cas. Co., 843 P.2d 1285, 1290 (Colo. 1992) (en banc). Colorado courts emphasize this principle in insurance cases, asking whether an insurance provision undermines legislative intent or offends public policy. E.g., Huizar v. Allstate Insur. Co., 952 P.2d 342, 344 (Colo. 1998) (en banc) (Colorado “courts have assumed a heightened responsibility to scrutinize insurance policies for provisions that unduly compromise the insured’s interests and have concluded that any provision of an insurance policy which violates public policy and principles of fairness is unenforceable.” (quotations omitted)); see also Allstate Ins. Co. v. Avis Rent-A-Car System, Inc., 947 P.2d 341, 346 (Colo. 1997) (en banc); Meyer v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 689 P.2d 585, 589 (Colo. 1984) (en banc).