DENVER—A judge has tossed out a $1.2 million judgment in favor of a former Denver firefighter, citing the “boorish and unprofessional” courtroom behavior of his lawyer.
Lawyer Mark E. Brennan represented Bill Cadorna in an age-discrimination lawsuit filed against the city. Cadorna was fired as a firefighter after he was falsely accused of shoplifting in 2002. Though charges against Cadorna were dropped, the city did not give Cadorna his job back.
A jury ruled against the city, but U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn wrote in an order granting a new trial that Cadorna’s story got lost in Brennan’s “disgraceful” courtroom behavior.
“In over 19 years on the bench, I have seen nothing comparable,” Blackburn wrote. “Such disrespectful cockalorum, grandstanding, bombast, bullying and hyperbole as Mr. Brennan exhibited throughout the trial are quite beyond my experience as a jurist, and, I fervently hope, will remain an aberration during the remainder of my time on the bench.”
Brennan did not return a message seeking comment Friday. The city said it looked forward to a new trial.
Blackburn wrote that Brennan made sarcastic comments, ignored verbal orders and insulted a witness in front of jurors. At one point, Blackburn found Brennan in contempt of court and fined him $500.
Blackburn ruled that Brennan’s actions prejudiced the jury’s verdict and denied the city a fair trial.
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Information from: Rocky Mountain News,
