Bill Elder, as Sheriff of El Paso County, Colorado; and El Paso County Sheriff‘s Office, v. Timothy Williams.
No. 19SC1009
The Supreme Court of the State of Colorado
December 21, 2020
2020 CO 88
Certiorari to the Colorado Court of Appeals, Court of Appeals Case No. 18CA1987. Judgment Affirmed en banc.
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ADVANCE SHEET HEADNOTE
December 21, 2020
2020 CO 88
No. 19SC1009 Elder v. Williams—Civil Rights—Employment Practices—Governmental Immunity—Statutory Construction.
This case principally requires the supreme court to decide whether claims against a governmental entity for compensatory relief under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA),
The court now concludes that (1) claims for compensatory relief under CADA are not claims for “injuries which lie in tort or could lie in tort” for purposes of the CGIA and therefore public entities are not immune from CADA claims under the CGIA; (2) “the state,” as used in
The court therefore affirms the judgment of the division below.
Attorney for Petitioners:
Bryan E. Schmid, Senior Assistant County Attorney
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Attorneys for Respondent:
Livelihood Law, LLC
Rachel E. Ellis
Euell B. Thomas
Denver, Colorado
Attorneys for Amicus Curiae Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association:
Cornish & Dell‘Olio, P.C.
Ian D. Kalmanowitz
Bradley J. Sherman
JUSTICE GABRIEL delivered the Opinion of the Court.
JUSTICE MARQUEZ dissents, and CHIEF JUSTICE COATS and JUSTICE BOATRIGHT join in the dissent.
¶1 This case requires us to address the interplay between two statutes—the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA),
¶3 Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the division below.
I. Facts and Procedural History
¶4 Because the matter before us arises from an order on a motion to dismiss Timothy Williams‘s claims, for purposes here, we take the facts from the allegations of Williams‘s complaint.
¶5 Williams began working at the El Paso County Sheriff‘s Office in 2002 and, after multiple promotions over the course of his career, reached the rank of lieutenant. In March 2016, Sheriff Bill Elder ordered a mandatory survey requesting, among other things, retirement eligibility dates from all employees. Williams, who then would have been eligible for full retirement benefits on June 1, 2018, completed this survey and reported that he expected to retire within the next five years.
¶6 Thereafter, Williams was assigned to a team that conducted investigations into alleged misconduct by personnel in his office. Apparently, Sheriff Elder was unhappy with Williams‘s investigation and the sanctions that Williams recommended, and he confronted Williams in a meeting about it. In this same meeting, Sheriff Elder went on to criticize Williams‘s job performance and indicated that Williams should be concerned about his job security. Then, several days later, Sheriff Elder held a lengthy lieutenants’ meeting, at which he demanded that all employees, including Williams, “step up or step out” and stated, “[I]f you can‘t cut it then check out.” Sheriff Elder allegedly looked at Williams when he made this last statement.
¶7 A few days later, Sheriff Elder demoted Williams to the rank of senior deputy, a significant change in rank, pay, and duties that resulted in substantial adverse retirement benefit consequences for Williams. To avoid these consequences, Williams retired the following day, ultimately to be replaced by a younger and purportedly less qualified employee.
¶8 Based on the foregoing events, Williams filed age discrimination and retaliation charges against the El Paso County Sheriff‘s Office with the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (for convenience, we will refer to Sheriff Elder and his office collectively as the “Sheriff‘s Office“).
¶9 While these discrimination charges were pending, the Sheriff‘s Office received and responded to a Colorado Open Records Act request for certain documents. In its response, the Sheriff‘s Office stated that Williams had been responsible for the requested documents but when he retired, he had removed items from his office and the documents in question could not be located. Williams claimed that this response, which was publicly available, was false and amounted to a public shaming for Williams‘s having filed discrimination charges against the Sheriff‘s Office.
¶10 The Colorado Civil Rights Division ultimately issued a Notice of Right to Sue, and Williams filed a complaint against the Sheriff‘s Office in the El Paso County District Court, alleging claims of age discrimination and retaliation under CADA,
¶11 The Sheriff‘s Office moved to dismiss, arguing, among other things, that Williams‘s claims for front pay and compensatory damages under CADA lie in tort and therefore are barred by the CGIA. Specifically, the Sheriff‘s Office argued that although prior
¶12 The district court ordered supplemental briefing on whether CADA‘s more recently available remedies for front pay and compensatory damages lie in tort and thus are barred under the CGIA. Williams responded that (1) front pay is an equitable remedy under both the plain language of
¶13 The district court ultimately agreed with Williams and denied the Sheriff‘s Office‘s motion to dismiss. In so concluding, the district court observed that front pay under CADA is an equitable remedy and under this court‘s prior case law, claims for equitable relief are not claims for injuries that lie in tort or could lie in tort and thus are not barred by the CGIA. The court likewise concluded that Williams‘s claims for compensatory damages for age discrimination and retaliation under CADA were not barred by the CGIA. In the court‘s view, reading CADA‘s remedies provisions as a whole, a consistent and sensible reading permits the recovery of such damages against the state and other public entities.
¶14 The Sheriff‘s Office appealed, and, in a unanimous, published decision, a division of the court of appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part. Williams v. Elder, 2019 COA 172, __ P.3d __. As pertinent here, the division agreed that Williams‘s claims for front pay and for compensatory damages based on retaliation could proceed. Id. at ¶¶ 21–29. The division, however, concluded that under the express language of
¶15 The Sheriff‘s Office petitioned this court for certiorari, and we granted that petition.
II. Analysis
¶16 We begin by setting forth the applicable standards relating to statutory interpretation. We then proceed to discuss the relationship between CADA and the CGIA, ultimately concluding that a claim brought pursuant to CADA does not and could not lie in tort and is therefore not barred by the CGIA. Next, we consider whether the language of
¶17 We review questions of statutory interpretation de novo. Dep‘t of Revenue v. Agilent Techs., Inc., 2019 CO 41, ¶ 16, 441 P.3d 1012, 1016.
¶18 In construing a statute, we seek to ascertain and give effect to the General Assembly‘s intent. Id. In doing so, we apply words and phrases in accord with their plain and ordinary meanings. Id. In addition, we look to the entire statutory scheme in order to give consistent, harmonious, and sensible effect to all of its parts, and we avoid constructions that would render any words or phrases superfluous or that would lead to illogical or absurd results. Id. If the statute is unambiguous, then we apply it as written and need not resort to other rules of statutory construction. Id. If the statute is ambiguous, however, then we may look to the legislature‘s intent, the circumstances surrounding the statute‘s adoption, and the possible consequences of different interpretations to determine the statute‘s proper construction. Colo. Oil & Gas Conservation Comm‘n v. Martinez, 2019 CO 3, ¶ 19, 433 P.3d 22, 28. A statute is ambiguous when it is reasonably susceptible of multiple interpretations. Id.
B. CADA Claims Do Not Lie in Tort
¶19 The Sheriff‘s Office contends that employment discrimination claims seeking compensatory damages pursuant to
¶20 The CGIA provides, in pertinent part, “A public entity shall be immune from liability in all claims for injury which lie in tort or could lie in tort regardless of whether that may be the type of action or the form of relief chosen by the claimant,” subject to exceptions not pertinent here.
¶21 In deciding whether a claim lies or could lie in tort, we have made clear that the form of the complaint is not determinative. Robinson v. Colo. State Lottery Div., 179 P.3d 998, 1003 (Colo. 2008). Instead, we consider both the nature of the injury and the relief sought. Id.
¶22 With respect to the nature of the injury, we have said, “When the injury arises either out of conduct that is tortious in nature or out of the breach of a duty recognized in tort law, and when the relief seeks to compensate the plaintiff for that injury, the claim likely lies in tort or could lie in tort for purposes of the CGIA.” Id. We have further stated that the CGIA “encompasses all claims against a public entity arising from the breach of a general duty of care, as distinguished from contractual relations or a distinctly non-tortious statutorily-imposed duty.” Colo. Dep‘t of Transp. v. Brown Grp. Retail, Inc., 182 P.3d 687, 691 (Colo. 2008).
¶23 With respect to the relief sought, we have opined that the nature of the relief requested is not dispositive as to whether a claim lies in tort, although it may inform our understanding of the nature of the injury and the duty allegedly breached. Robinson, 179 P.3d at 1003. This is particularly true in the case of a statutory claim without origins in common law in which, for example, the legislature intended to address constitutionally based concerns of equality rather than compensation for personal injuries. Id. at 1006; see also Brown Grp. Retail, 182 P.3d at 690 (noting that “we have distinguished some statutorily created duties, despite their general and non-contractual nature, on the basis of their broad policy rather than compensatory goals“).
¶25 Several provisions of CADA reinforce our view of its non-compensatory purpose. For example,
¶26 In addition, in our view, CADA‘s provision allowing a prevailing plaintiff to recover reasonable attorney fees effectively creates a mechanism by which claimants act as private attorneys general, seeking to vindicate the rights secured by CADA.
¶27 For these reasons, we conclude that CADA claims derive from statutory duties designed to implement the broad policy of eliminating intentional discriminatory or unfair employment practices, rather than to compensate an individual for personal injuries. Accordingly, CADA claims do not and could not lie in tort, and Williams‘s claims under CADA are not barred by the CGIA.
¶28 In so concluding, we acknowledge that our decision in Conners, the viability of which no party in this case has challenged, appears to have engendered some confusion in the aftermath of the 2013 amendments to CADA. We, however, see no inconsistency between that case and the case now before us.
¶29 In Conners, 993 P.2d at 1168, we addressed the question of whether claims for non-compensatory equitable relief under CADA‘s predecessor, the CRA, were claims for injuries that lie in tort or could lie in tort for purposes of the CGIA. We concluded that they were not, distinguishing between actions seeking compensatory damages for personal injuries and those in which any benefits to an individual claimant are incidental to the CRA‘s greater purpose of eliminating workplace discrimination. Id. at 1173–74.
¶30 Notwithstanding the Sheriff‘s Office‘s assertion to the contrary, our discussion in Conners was not so narrow as to address solely claims for equitable relief. Rather, Conners is properly understood as more broadly addressing a statute with no foundation in common law that principally served a societal purpose of eliminating workplace discrimination. It was in this context that we concluded that claims under the CRA were not barred by the CGIA, and we apply the same analysis and reach the same conclusion here.
¶31 In reaching this conclusion, we are not persuaded by the Sheriff‘s Office‘s contention that the 2013 amendments to CADA changed the focus of that statute such that claims brought under it (including equitable claims) now lie or could lie in tort for CGIA purposes. Contrary to the Sheriff‘s Office‘s position, we perceive nothing in the 2013 amendments suggesting a legislative intent to alter CADA‘s fundamental purpose of eliminating workplace discrimination and to substitute a regime focused on compensation for claimants. Nor do we perceive anything in those amendments signaling a legislative intent to override our decision in Conners and to bring CADA claims within the immunity afforded by the CGIA. To the contrary, we read the legislature‘s inclusion in the amendments of the private enforcement and capped damages provisions discussed above as reflecting the legislature‘s desire to advance CADA‘s central purpose of eliminating workplace discrimination while, at the same time, including within CADA itself provisions protecting public entities from unlimited financial liability, which, as noted above, is one of the CGIA‘s purposes.
¶32 Nor are we persuaded by the Sheriff‘s Office‘s argument that by referring to the CGIA in
¶33 Finally, we are unpersuaded by the Sheriff‘s Office‘s argument that federal case law interpreting Title VII suggests that claims brought under CADA lie or could lie in tort. As an initial matter, we note that the federal case law on which the Sheriff‘s Office relies does not address CADA or its intent, nor does any of such case law contradict our understanding of CADA‘s central purpose of eliminating workplace discrimination. Moreover, although some federal cases at times refer to Title VII claims as statutory torts, other cases focus on Title VII‘s overriding purpose of promoting equality and prohibiting wrongful discrimination in the workplace, analyzing Title VII much as we have analyzed CADA here. Compare Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228, 264 (1989) (O‘Connor, J., concurring) (referring to a Title VII claim as a statutory employment “tort“), with Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424, 429–30 (1971) (“The objective of Congress in the enactment of Title VII is plain from the language of the statute. It was to achieve equality of employment opportunities and remove barriers that have operated in the past to favor an identifiable group of white employees over other employees.“), and
¶34 In addition, we note that none of the federal cases describing Title VII claims as statutory torts do so in the context of discussing governmental immunity. Instead, to the extent that these cases discuss tort principles, they appear to do so in connection with defining the element of causation in Title VII claims. See, e.g., Univ. of Tex. Sw. Med. Ctr. v. Nassar, 570 U.S. 338, 346 (2013) (“This case requires the Court to define the proper
¶35 Lastly, we note that federal case law interpreting Title VII specifically allows for compensatory damages against governmental entities while precluding the
recovery of punitive damages. See
¶36 Given that section
¶37 For all of these reasons, we conclude that Williams’s claim seeking compensatory relief against the Sheriff’s Office under section
C. Subsection 24-34-405(8)(g)
¶38 The Sheriff’s Office next contends that although subsection
¶39 As an initial matter, for the reasons noted above, compensatory damages claims under CADA do not and could not lie in tort, and therefore, such claims are not barred by the CGIA as against any public entity.
¶40 In any event, we do not agree that “the state,” as that term is used in subsection
¶41 Subsection
¶42 The Sheriff’s Office contends that this term refers to the state of Colorado and only the state of Colorado, and that it does not include state agencies or political subdivisions. In support of this contention, the Sheriff’s Office observes that elsewhere in CADA, the General Assembly has distinguished between “the state” and “any political subdivision, commission, department, institution, orschool district of the state.” See, e.g.,
¶43 Williams, in contrast, argues that the term “the state,” as distinguished from “the state of Colorado,” generally includes state agencies and political subdivisions. He further argues that, in his view, “the state” must be read to include state agencies and political subdivisions in order to construe all of the provisions of CADA harmoniously. See, e.g.,
¶45 First, we note that interpreting subsection
¶46 Second, the fiscal note accompanying the proposed 2013 amendments to CADA stated, “The size of potential damages allowed will depend on the size of the local governments involved and cannot be estimated.” Fiscal Note on HB 13-1136, at 5, 69th Gen. Assemb., 1st Sess. (Feb. 13, 2013) (emphasis added). This acknowledgement that damages could be assessed against local governments reflects a contemporaneous understanding that local governments are, in fact, subject to such damage awards.
¶47 Finally, given CADA’s primary goal of eliminating employment discrimination in the workplace, it would be illogical for us to infer that in attempting to broaden the tools available to those who have suffered workplace discrimination, the legislature, at the same time, excluded from CADA’s reach a broad swath of workers employed by the state’s political subdivisions and agencies. As noted above, we must avoid such illogical statutory constructions. See Agilent Techs., ¶ 16, 441 P.3d at 1016.
¶48 Accordingly, we conclude that “the state,” as used in subsection
D. Front Pay
¶49 Finally, the Sheriff’s Office argues that claims for front pay in connection with alleged age discrimination and retaliation are compensatory in nature and thus lie or could lie in tort for CGIA purposes.
¶50 As an initial matter, we emphasize that the issue before us concerns only whether Williams’s demand for front pay in connection with his discrimination claims is compensatory and thus barred under the CGIA. We did not grant certiorari to review, and we therefore do not review, the conclusion of the division below that CADA itself expressly bars claims for compensatory damages in connection with an age discrimination claim. See
¶51 Because we have concluded that CADA claims do not and could not lie in tort, Williams’s claims for front pay under CADA
¶52 We therefore conclude that Williams’s claims for front pay under CADA are not barred by the CGIA.
III. Conclusion
¶53 For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that CADA claims seeking compensatory damages do not and could not lie in tort and therefore are not barred by application of the CGIA. We further conclude that the term “the state,” as used in subsection
¶54 Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the division below.
JUSTICE MÁRQUEZ dissents, and CHIEF JUSTICE COATS and JUSTICE BOATRIGHT join in the dissent.
JUSTICE MÁRQUEZ, dissenting.
¶55 Without question, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act,
¶56 The majority holds today that claims brought under CADA fall entirely outside of the scope of the CGIA. Maj. op. ¶¶ 19–37, 53. The majority reaches this conclusion by relying on and extending the reasoning of our opinion in Conners. There, we held that “the CGIA does not provide the government immunity from claims for relief under the [Colorado Civil Rights Act]1 when such claims are notbased on providing compensatory relief to individuals but instead focus on the anti-discrimination purposes of the statute.” Conners, 993 P.2d at 1176–77.
¶57 I believe that this court’s opinion in Conners strayed significantly from the plain text of the CGIA, and the majority’s extension of our erroneous holding in that case continues down that errant path. Under the CGIA, governmental immunity extends to all claims that “lie in tort or could lie in tort regardless of . . . the form of relief chosen by the claimant.”
¶58 Today, the majority further deviates from the scope of government immunity set forth in section
¶59 Fidelity to the text of the CGIA demands that we apply the “lie[s] in tort or could lie in tort” standard as written to determine whether CGIA immunity encompasses claims under CADA. Because the injuries that give rise to CADA claims can serve as the basis for common law tort claims, such as wrongful discharge in violation of public policy or tortious interference with an employment contract, see Martin Marietta Corp. v. Lorenz, 823 P.2d 100, 109 (Colo. 1992); Brooke v. Rest. Servs., Inc., 906 P.2d 66, 68 (Colo. 1995), claims under CADA plainly “could lie in tort.” Accordingly, CGIA immunity extends to CADA claims unless the General Assembly has expressly waived immunity. There is no such waiver applicable here. While the General Assembly may have effectuated a waiver of CGIA immunity for claims for compensatory damages brought against the state in section
¶60 Though perhaps this omission was mere oversight, we cannot be sure; as I explain in my dissent today in Houchin, there are rational, fiscal reasons to protect local governments from compensatory damages claims under CADA. See Denver Health v. Houchin, 2020 CO 89, ¶¶ 32–35, __ P.3d __ (Márquez, J., dissenting). But even assuming it was oversight, we cannot fix the legislature’s mistakes by reading language into section
I. The Approach Adopted by Conners and the Majority is Contrary to the Text and Purpose of the CGIA
¶61 The approach used by Conners and the majority looks to the nature of relief afforded by a statute and sought by a claimant to determine whether statutory claims fall within the CGIA. Such an approach runs directly counter to the plain text and intent behind the scope of immunity set forth in section
A. The General Assembly Intended the “Could Lie in Tort” Standard to be Interpreted Expansively
¶62 For nearly a century after statehood, Colorado and its political subdivisions were immune from suit under the common law doctrine of sovereign immunity. See Evans v. Bd. of Cnty. Comm‘rs, 482 P.2d 968, 970 (Colo. 1971). In 1971, this court abrogated the doctrine in Evans and two companion cases, Proffitt v. State, 482 P.2d 965 (Colo. 1971), and Flournoy v. School District No. One in City & County of Denver, 482 P.2d 966 (Colo. 1971). But we made clear that “[i]f the General Assemblywishes to restore sovereign immunity and governmental immunity in whole or in part, it has the authority to do so.” Evans, 482 P.2d at 972.
¶63 Two months later, the General Assembly responded by enacting the CGIA. See ch. 323, sec. 1, §§ 130-11-1 to -17, 1971 Colo. Sess. Laws 1204, 1218. The CGIA broadly reestablished governmental immunity, allowing suit against public entities “only to such an extent and subject to such conditions as are provided by this article.” See
from liability in all claims for injury which lie in tort or could lie in tort regardless of whether that may be the type of action or the form of relief chosen by the claimant except as provided otherwise in this section.”
¶64 Although the CGIA’s “could lie in tort” concept is somewhat nebulous, we have recognized that the CGIA “broadly encompasses all claims against a public entity arising from the breach of a general duty of care, as distinguished from contractual relations or a distinctly non-tortious statutorily-imposed duty.” Colo. Dep‘t of Transp. v. Brown Grp. Retail, Inc., 182 P.3d 687, 691 (Colo. 2008); see also State Pers. Bd. v. Lloyd, 752 P.2d 559, 563 (Colo. 1988) (“The clear import of this language is that the [CGIA] was intended to apply to all actions against public entities or their employees which lie, or could lie, in tort but not contract.“).
¶65 Tellingly, nearly all of the cases in which we have held that a claim did not and could not “lie in tort” for purposes of the CGIA involved contractual claims. See City of Arvada ex rel. Arvada Police Dep‘t v. Denver Health & Hosp. Auth., 2017 CO 97, ¶¶ 41–42, 403 P.3d 609, 617 (unjust enrichment arising out of a contract dispute); Denny Constr., Inc. v. City & Cnty. of Denver ex rel. Bd. of Water Comm‘rs, 199 P.3d 742, 750 (Colo. 2009) (lost profit damages in a breach of contract claim); Sch. Dist. RE-1J v. A.R.L. by & through Loveland, 2014 CO 33, ¶ 12, 325 P.3d 1014, 1019.Berg v. State Bd. of Agric., 919 P.2d 254, 259 (Colo. 1996) (promissory estoppel); Bd. of Cnty. Comm‘rs v. DeLozier, 917 P.2d 714, 717 (Colo. 1996) (promissory estoppel); Julesburg Sch. Dist. No. RE-1 v. Ebke, 562 P.2d 419, 421 (Colo. 1977) (breach of contractual duty).
¶66 By contrast, we have generally determined that claims arising from non-contractual injuries fall within the CGIA’s broad ambit. See, e.g., Brown, 182 P.3d at 692 (claims for contribution, unjust enrichment, and declaratory relief); Lloyd, 752 P.2d at 563 (retaliatory discharge claim under a state employee protection statute); Robinson v. Colo. State Lottery Div., 179 P.3d 998, 1010 (Colo. 2008) (contract and unjust enrichment claims that “could alternatively be pleaded and remedied through a tort claim“). Conners stands as a rare exception to these trends.3
B. Conners Misapplied the CGIA’s “Could Lie in Tort” Standard
¶67 In Conners, this court determined that claims brought pursuant to the CRA “neither lie in tort nor could lie in tort for the purposes of the CGIA.” 993 P.2d at 1174. We reached this conclusion by centering our analysis largely on the equitable and non-compensatory forms of relief available under the CRA, emphasizing that the CRA “does not provide monetary compensation for tort-like personal injuries for those who are the victims of prohibited discrimination.” Id. at 1176. We reasoned that these limited forms
¶68 Although we later retreated somewhat from Conners in Robinson to say that the nature of the relief requested is not dispositive, we reiterated that the nature of the relief serves to inform our understanding of the injury and the duty breached to determine if a claim lies or could lie in tort. 179 P.3d at 1006.
¶69 Notably, the majority now overlooks the absence of compensatory relief so critical to our holding in Conners. Maj. op. ¶ 29. The majority ultimately concludes that it is solely CADA’s “societal purpose,” rather than the absence of compensatory damages, that takes CADA claims outside of the scope of the CGIA. See id. at ¶¶ 29–31. But in addition to ignoring the core rationale for our holding in Conners, the majority’s analysis repeats the broader error underlying our opinion in that case; by focusing on the nature of relief provided by the CRA rather than the type of injuries underlying the claims brought, Conners ignored the legislature’s mandate that governmental immunity applies to “all claims for injury which lie in tort or could lie in tort regardless of . . . the form of relief chosen by the claimant.”
¶70 At no point did Conners, nor does the majority today, explain why the injuries underlying CADA claims cannot lie in tort. As we have more recently made clear, “[t]he nature of the injury alleged—not the relief requested—is the primary inquiry to determine whether the CGIA applies to [a] claim.” Open Door Ministries v. Lipschuetz, 2016 CO 37M, ¶ 16, 373 P.3d 575, 579 (emphasis added).
To determine whether a claim “could lie in tort” for purposes of the CGIA, we should look to whether the claimant is asserting injuries arising out of a “breach of a general duty of care,” Brown, 182 P.3d at 691, “regardless of whether that may be . . . the form of relief” provided by the cause of action in question or sought by the claimant at bar,
C. The Majority Has Articulated No Real Test to Determine Whether Statutory Claims Fall Outside of the CGIA
¶71 The majority offers two main justifications to support its conclusion that CADA claims are not subject to the CGIA. Neither is persuasive nor offers workable guidance for determining whether other statutory causes of action are subject to the CGIA.
¶72 First, the majority opines that, because CADA serves “greater purposes” that are in the “public interest,” it is primarily non-compensatory in nature and thus cannot be subject to the CGIA. See maj. op. ¶¶ 24, 26. But many causes of action that are subject to the CGIA implicate public policy. By their very nature, claims for wrongful discharge in violation of public policy have public interest implications, Martin Marietta, 823 P.2d at 109, but are still torts subject to the CGIA. And in Lloyd we determined that a claim brought pursuant to the state employee whistleblower statute, which clearly implicates the public interest, is nevertheless subject to the CGIA. See 752 P.2d at 565. I am concerned that the majority’sapproach amounts to little more than an ad hoc inquiry in which courts determine which policy goals are in the “public interest” and thus outside the scope of the CGIA. Such a process gives the appearance of judicial policymaking.4 Instead,
¶73 Second, the majority suggests that CADA claims may not be subject to the CGIA because they do not have “origins in the common law.” Maj. op. ¶ 24. But we have never before required a claim to have common law origins to come within the scope of the CGIA. Indeed, we have held the exact opposite in Brown. 182 P.3d at 690–91 (“[W]e have never suggested that coverage of the Act is limited to claims that are capable of being recast as common-law torts by the party bringing the claim. Most especially, we have never suggested that claims for relief developed and historically administered by courts of chancery or equity, rather than courts of law, necessarily fall outside the coverage of the Act.“). And we have determined that other statutory claims that have no common law analogue fall within thescope of the CGIA. See Lloyd, 752 P.2d at 565 (holding that claims brought pursuant to a whistleblower statute were subject to the CGIA).
¶74 I fear the majority’s opinion leaves the legislature and courts with no clear or workable standard as to what statutory causes of action fall outside of the CGIA. Perhaps any statutory claim that does not “ensur[e] full compensation for claimants” has a primarily “non-compensatory purpose” and is thus outside the scope of the CGIA. See maj. op. ¶ 25 (emphasis added). Or perhaps this is only true for claims that do not have “origins in the common law.” Id. at ¶ 24. Alternatively, maybe the CGIA applies to all statutory claims other than those that “address constitutionally based concerns,” id. at ¶ 23, or fulfill a “basic responsibility of government,” id. at ¶ 24 (quoting Conners, 993 P.2d at 1174). All are equally plausible readings of the majority’s opinion.
II. CADA Claims Could Lie in Tort
¶75 Looking simply to the broad “could lie in tort” language used by the legislature in section
¶76 The same injuries that underlie CADA claims could be alternatively pleaded as tort claims. An employee who is terminated in violation of “a clearly expressed public policy relating to . . . the employee’s right or privilege as a worker” could plead a tort claim for wrongful discharge in violation of public policy. Martin Marietta, 823 P.2d at 1096. The same employee could bring a claim for tortious interference with employment. See Brooke, 906 P.2d at 68. As we have made clear,
both tort claims remain viable as alternative causes of action even after the enactment of CADA. See id. at 70 n.4.
¶77 Even if the majority is correct that CADA claims themselves are not torts, it
III. The General Assembly Did Not Waive Immunity for Political Subdivisions
¶78 In enacting the CGIA, the General Assembly expressly intended to “includ[e] within one article all the circumstances under which the state, any of its political subdivisions, or the public employees of such public entities may be liable” to plaintiffs.
¶79 In the past, when the General Assembly has sought to alter or waive immunity for claims, it has amended section
¶80 The General Assembly’s consistent practice in this regard, coupled with the CGIA’s stated goal of establishing all bases for governmental liability within one article, strongly suggests that when the legislature intends to waive immunity, it does so through section
section
¶81 The General Assembly likewise did not waive immunity for political subdivisions anywhere in CADA. CADA provides that a claim “against the state for compensatory damages . . . is not subject to the [CGIA],” but does not provide that the same holds true for a claim against a political subdivision.
¶82 Unlike the majority, see maj. op. ¶¶ 38–48, I cannot plausibly read “state” to encompass political subdivisions in section
¶83 The majority posits that interpreting the term “state” in section
¶84 If the General Assembly intended to waive immunity for political subdivisions, it did not effectuate that intent in the language of CADA as enacted. Neither section
IV. Conclusion
¶85 I fully agree with the majority that CADA serves a fundamental role in eliminating workplace discrimination. But I cannot read language into the Act that does not exist. CADA claims plainly “could lie in tort,” and the General Assembly has not waived immunity for such claims with respect to political subdivisions. Accordingly, Williams’s claim against the Sheriff’s Office is barred under the CGIA. Thus, because I would reverse the judgment of the court of appeals, I respectfully dissent.
I am authorized to state that CHIEF JUSTICE COATS and JUSTICE BOATRIGHT join in this dissent.
Notes
- Whether the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act bars an employee‘s claim seeking compensatory relief against a governmental entity under
section 24-34-405, C.R.S. (2019) of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. - Whether
section 24-34-405(8)(g), C.R.S. (2019) , exempts public sector employers that are a political subdivision, commission, department, institution, or school district of the state from compensatory damages for an intentional unfair or discriminatory employment practice under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act,§§ 24-10-101 to -120, C.R.S. (2019) . - Whether front pay damages for claims that sound in tort are compensatory in nature and therefore excluded from age discrimination claims pursuant to
section 24-34-405(3)(g), C.R.S. (2019) , and retaliation claims pursuant tosection 24-34-405(8)(g), C.R.S. (2019) .