DENVER — Colorado Civil Justice League announced winners of its Common Sense in the Courtroom Awards, given to state legislators who have demonstrated a commitment to curtailing lawsuit abuse and protecting small business and working families from the cost of frivolous litigation.

Awards will be presented at a luncheon on Oct. 16 at the Denver Four Seasons, sponsored by American Furniture Warehouse, American Property & Casualty Insurers Association, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, COPIC, Colorado Bankers Association, Colorado Hospital Association, State Farm, Spencer Fane, and Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell.

CCJL is the only organization in Colorado exclusively dedicated to stopping lawsuit abuse while preserving a system of civil justice that fairly compensates legitimate victims.

“Common Sense in the Courtroom requires justice for those who have been harmed by someone else, balanced by fairness for those who may be wrongfully accused,” said CCJL executive director Mark Hillman.

Unfortunately, the Colorado General Assembly created too many new opportunities for lawsuits – against employers, property owners, and manufacturers.  During its past three legislative sessions, at least 125 bills creating new opportunities for litigation were introduced; more than 50 of those passed and are now Colorado law.

However, bipartisan coalitions emerged to stop many of those threats and to create liability protections in other areas.

“At CCJL, we are grateful for the bipartisan support of legislators who understand the importance of an efficient and balanced court system to our state’s economic health,” Hillman said.

Common Sense in the Courtroom Award recipients include:

• Representatives Carlos Barron (Brighton), Shannon Bird (Westminster), Scott Bottoms (Colorado Springs), Mary Bradfield (Colorado Springs), Brandi Bradley (Littleton), Max Brooks (Castle Rock), Jarvis Caldwell (Colorado Springs), Sean Camacho (Denver), Ken DeGraaf (Colorado Springs), Cecelia Espenoza (Denver), Lisa Feret (Arvada), Lori Garcia Sander (Eaton), Ryan Gonzalez (Greeley), Eliza Hamrick (Centennial), Anthony Hartsook (Parker), Dusty Johnson (Morgan County), Rebecca Keltie (Colorado Springs), Stephanie Luck (Penrose), Bob Marshall (Highlands Ranch), Julie McCluskie (Dillon), Jacqueline Phillips (Thornton), Rose Pugliese (Colorado Springs), Chris Richardson (Elizabeth), Matt Soper (Delta), Larry Don Suckla (Cortez), Rick Taggart (Grand Junction), Alex Valdez (Denver), Ron Weinberg (Loveland), Ty Winter (Trinidad) and Dan Woog (Erie).

• Senators Judy Amabile (Boulder), Mark Baisley (Woodland Park), Scott Bright (Platteville), John Carson (Highlands Ranch), Marc Catlin (Montrose), Lindsey Daugherty (Arvada), Lisa Frizell (Castle Rock), Barbara Kirkmeyer (Brighton), Larry Liston (Colorado Springs), Paul Lundeen (Monument), Janice Marchman (Loveland), Dafna Michaelson Jenet (Commerce City), Kyle Mullica (Thornton), Byron Pelton (Sterling), Rod Pelton (Cheyenne Wells), Janice Rich (Grand Junction), Dylan Roberts (Frisco), Cleave Simpson (Alamosa), and Marc Snyder (Manitou Springs).