A trial court ruling affects one family. An appellate ruling becomes law that binds every court in Colorado. These are the cases we support, and why they matter beyond the families involved.
Active Cases
People in the Interest of R.F. — El Paso County
Status: Before the Colorado Supreme Court
Court of Appeals case no.: 2025CA206
In July 2022, the El Paso County Department of Human Services opened a dependency and neglect case involving three children. Within weeks the county placed the children outside the father’s home. The placements that followed proved catastrophic: according to reporting by The Gazette, the children were placed with a household that included an adult with a documented history of violence in prior court filings, and later a child was placed with a relative living with a registered sex offender. The children were seriously harmed.
Separately, the trial court terminated the father’s parental rights. The Colorado Court of Appeals reversed, and the Colorado Supreme Court has since granted review to decide whether a series of procedural failures led to an improper termination.
Why this case matters
This case raises two questions the system has to answer, and they are independent of one another:
- Whether parents facing the permanent loss of their children receive the process the Constitution requires — including counsel who is actually effective.
- Whether an agency that removes children citing danger is accountable for the danger it places them in afterward.
A parent can be entitled to a fair process regardless of what the underlying allegations against them turn out to be. That is what due process means. The Supreme Court’s decision will shape how Colorado courts handle these questions for every family that comes after.
Consideration funded this family’s appellate work. Published with the father’s consent.
How Cases Are Selected
We cannot fund every case, and we are honest with families about that from the start. Our resources are limited, so we prioritize appeals with the potential to establish precedent that protects other families.
Factors we weigh:
- Whether the legal issue affects families beyond this one
- Whether the record supports an appeal
- Whether deadlines still allow action
- Whether the family has other options available
See our selection process for how to apply.
A Note on Privacy
Dependency cases involve children. We publish case information only with the family’s consent, and we do not publish details about children that would identify them or describe what they have been through. When we describe a case, we anchor to what courts have found on the record and to what has already been reported publicly, rather than to allegations.