The former executive director of the Colorado Humane Society and her husband have been barred from operating or managing charitable organizations for the next decade, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced in a news release today.
In addition, the pair — former executive director Mary Warren and her husband, Robert Warren, the former development director of the society — are prohibited from owning and operating any business covered by the Colorado Pet Animal Care Facilities Act, such as an animal shelter, for the next five years.
Mary Warren’s daughter, Stephanie L. Gardner, who was director of the organization’s operations, is barred from operating a charity for the next two years and operating any business covered by the Colorado Pet Animal Care Act.
The Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit in Arapahoe County District Court against Gardner and the Warrens in December 2008 alleging that they, through the Colorado Humane Society, violated numerous provisions of Colorado law, including the Charitable Solicitations Act, the Consumer Protection Act, and the Revised Non-Profit Corporations Act.
As part of the lawsuit, a judge placed the Colorado Humane Society’s operations and assets under the supervision of a custodian.
On the recommendations of the custodian, the court agreed in December to allow the sale of the Colorado Humane Society’s assets, including its name.
In the consent decree, the Warrens and Gardner said they were entering the settlement for the purpose of resolving the disputed claims and to avoid the expense of litigation.
The decree explicitly said that the Warrens and Gardner were not admitting liability or admitting any of the claims made by investigators.
In the civil lawsuit, Suthers alleged that the Colorado Humane Society euthanized nearly 30 percent of the animals at the Englewood facility that was sometimes advertised as a “no-kill” shelter.
The civil complaint, which followed a 14-month investigation, accused the Warrens and Gardner of “gross mismanagement of CHS finances.”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
