ACLU attorneys filed this lawsuit against the City of Trinidad on behalf of two innocent women who were falsely arrested and prosecuted as part of a highly-publicized “drug sting” in December, 2013.

According to the suit, Trinidad detectives relied on unsubstantiated accusations made by an untrustworthy confidential informant while ignoring readily available evidence that clearly demonstrated that ACLU clients Danika Gonzales and Felicia Valdez were innocent.   Both ACLU clients lost their jobs as a result of the false arrests, and Valdez and her children were evicted from their federally-subsidized housing.

The lawsuit asserts that these unjustified false arrests are part of the Trinidad Police Department’s “custom, policy, and/or practice of conducting undercover stings” that violate the U.S. Constitution.

Overall, 40 individuals were arrested during Trinidad’s 2013 “drug sting,” many on the basis of false, deficient, and misleading arrest affidavits, according to the ACLU complaint.  None of the 40 arrests resulted in a drug-related conviction.

The ACLU lawsuit charges that Trinidad detectives sought arrest warrants based on a confidential informant's uncorroborated accusations while deliberately concealing from the judge a wealth of facts the detectives knew would cast doubt on the informant's credibility and motives.  In addition, the ACLU charges that the detectives laced the arrest affidavits with false and misleading assertions designed to manufacture probable cause for arrest.

A negotiated settlement provided substantial compensation for the ACLU's clients. 

ACLU Press Releases:

Media:

Attorney(s)

Paul G. Karlsgodt; Marc D. Flink; Casie D. Collignon; Nathan A. Schacht; Aaron J. Thompson; Rebecca Wallace, ACLU of Colorado Staff Attorney; Mark Silverstein, ACLU of Colorado Legal Director

Case number

2014-15, 15-cv-00049,