Lawsuit claims Colorado town had secret agreement with pot dispensary
The former treasurer of Empire who was fired after she publicly confronted City Council members about a secret agreement with the towns only marijuana dispensary owner to defer thousands of dollars in fees has filed a lawsuit against the city in federal court.
The whistle-blower lawsuit filed Tuesday by Dawn Wards attorney Ahson Wali accuses Mayor Wendy Koch and other Empire City Council members of violating Wards First Amendment rights by firing her for making protected comments at a council meeting.
By voting to terminate Plaintiff, the Mayor and the Board violated plaintiffsFirst Amendment rights through an official act or policy of the town, the lawsuit says.
Koch did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.
Ward, who was Empires treasurer from2013 to2015, seeks compensatory damages for future lost wages and for emotional pain, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. She also is seeking compensation for attorneys fees.
Wards lawsuit said that on May 19, 2015, she spoke out against a proposed city ordinance that essentially would give the towns only marijuana dispensary owner a monopoly in selling marijuana legally in Empire.
During her comments she asked the dispensarys owner, Dan Volpe, if he intended to pay his tap fee, the lawsuit says.
Ward had learned while preparing the town audit that the City Council had failed to disclose a 2012 agreement with Volpe for two years that allowed him to finance his tap fees.
One of the City Council members, Robert Morris, owned the building where Volpe ran his dispensary, the lawsuit says.
Volpe, who spoke in ...
