🦭 Who sues the zoo?

🌊 Why is the Denver Zoo at the Center of Multiple Lawsuits?

In March, the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance sued the makers of its $19 million sea lion habitat renovation, claiming that it was built poorly and citing cracks, leaks, and other defects. The general contractor and lead construction firm, Vertix Builders, are disputing these allegations and saying that the zoo still owes the firm $700,000. They aren’t the only ones citing a lack of payment, however: Subcontractor Longhorn Organics is suing both the contractor and the zoo for an outstanding balance from Vertix of $250,000. Neither party has commented on this latest lawsuit. [Westword]

• He said, she said: After the original lawsuit, representatives from Vertix and the zoo met, and the zoo said they would pay when the agreed-upon issues were fixed. Vertix says they thought they’d reached an agreement, but alleges that the zoo has since stopped communicating.
• Are the sea lions okay? The zoo has assured the public that the exhibit's five California sea lions — Luci, Ady, Gunnison, Maverick, and Nick — are safe under the current conditions. The sea lions were relocated to other zoos during the renovations, but returned to Denver last year.
• When Schlessman Shores opened last June, the zoo boasted a state-of-the-art habitat with a 16-foot underwater viewing window and new saltwater pools and filtration systems. [9News]

👮 Sheriff Department Moves Toward Less Independent Oversight

The Denver Sheriff Department will be handling more minor disciplinary matters and policy violations in-house, instead of automatically referring them to the Public Integrity Division. First-line supervisors will now determine whether some policy violations warrant an internal affairs investigation or not. Sheriff Elias Diggins says he wants to “unburden” staff from onerous, “unnecessary” internal affairs probes, while police oversight groups are concerned about reduced transparency and selective enforcement. [Denver Post 🔒]

🎤 Rutinel, Bird on the Offensive at First Major Debate

Last week, State Rep. Manny Rutinel and former state lawmaker Shannon Bird faced off in the first major debate in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, where the Democrats sparred on immigration, Medicaid funding, and their own political history. A third Democratic candidate, Evan Munsing, dropped out of the race the day before the debate. Whoever wins the primary will take on incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans in November. [Axios Denver]

• More election resources: Ballots for the June 30 primary will be mailed to registered voters next Monday. Colorado Public Radio and the Colorado Sun have released their primary election voter guides. [CPR, Colorado Sun]

💉 Dating App Founder Sues Bar Over Cancelled Event

Shelby Hosana, the founder of the anti-vaccination dating app Unjected, has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Recess Beer Garden after the Denver bar cancelled their May 29 dating event. In their post about the cancellation, Recess cited “escalating hostility and safety concerns” and “the lack of compliance from the event organizers." Hosana is suing Recess and the ownership group for more than $4 million each, claiming that the business' posting of a "false and defamatory statement" caused financial harm to Unjected. [Westword, TikTok]

💰 Atomic Cowboy Accused of Wage Violations, Settles out of Court

Former Atomic Cowboy employee Andrew Barili filed a lawsuit against Atomic Provisions in 2024, claiming that the restaurant group committed multiple wage violations against hundreds of employees. Barili worked at the Centennial location from 2022 to 2024, and claimed that his firing was an act of retaliation for bringing these concerns to the company. Atomic Provisions agreed to settle out of court, and will pay more than $800,000 to current and former employees. [Denverite]