The national NAACP is suing 13 former executive members of the Boulder County Branch, alleging that they conducted civil conspiracy and civil theft, among other actions, during the publicized and disputed dissolution of the local branch earlier this year.
The civil suit was filed Monday against Annett James, Jude Landsman, Veronica Sommers, Gabriela Kioupakis, Lawrence Pevec, Darren O’Connor, Madelyn Strong Woodley, Judy Hutson, Glenda Strong Robinson, Louisa Matthias, Sheila Davis, John Howell and Velveta Golightly-Howell. The NAACP is represented by the Denver law firm Crowell & Morning LLP.
The defendants are accused of breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, civil theft and civil conspiracy. The suit calls for a trial by jury.
The branch’s assets include a checking account that holds nearly $77,000 in deposits and stock in Google valued at $25,000 as of December 2024, according to the suit, which states that Sommers, the former branch secretary, has ignored multiple requests from the NAACP to turn over the accounts.
The then-executive members voted in March to dissolve the Boulder County Branch, which the national NAACP has repeatedly said only the national board of directors has the power to do. Monday’s filing alleges that a March 28 email sent from the defendants went to a list of “members, donors, and friends of the NAACP Boulder County Branch” notifying them of the vote to dissolve. That list, the NAACP claims, counts as trade secrets.
“The email also had the effect of halting donations to the Branch and/or NAACP through the Branch website, and stopped new members from joining,” the suit says.
The lawsuit highlights two cease-and-desist letters that the national NAACP sent to Kioupakis, alleging that she continued to represent herself as a member of the Boulder County Branch after her membership had been suspended. The second letter was sent on April 30 after Kioupakis sent emails from an account that contained “secretary.naacpbouldercounty,” the suit says.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s website shows that on April 25 that the Boulder County Branch was dissolved. Two days later Steve Ricard, a national board member from Kansas City appointed to oversee the Boulder County Branch, filed a statement of correction to revoke the dissolution document.
The lawsuit also calls for an injunction against each of the 13 defendants for the disposal of branch assets, use of branch assets and trade secrets, and use of the NAACP’s name, likeness or marks; a declaratory judgment that the NAACP Boulder Branch has not been lawfully dissolved and its assets should remain with the branch; and declaratory judgment that none of the defendants have the right to act on behalf of the NAACP or the branch.
Also in the prayer for relief, the suit calls for “equitable relief, including an accounting of the branch’s assets; judgment against all defendants; pre-judgment and post-judgment interest; … and all other relief the court deems proper.”
The case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Cyrus Y. Chung, with a scheduling conference set for Aug. 7 at the Byron G. Rogers U.S. Courthouse in Denver.
Leading to the lawsuit
Boulder County’s branch was established in 2017, and tensions between it and the national branch came to a head in 2021, the suit alleges.
“Specifically, various members of the Boulder NAACP Branch engaged in conduct which was inimical to the best interests of the NAACP,” the suit says. The suie also alleges that the defendants showed a pattern of refusal to abide by NAACP’s constitution and bylaws.
The Boulder County Branch, and its former executive leaders, were front and center when decrying Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn’s presence in the Boulder Police Department due to his previous service in Aurora.
Redfearn, then a captain, was on duty the night Elijah McClain was killed in 2019, and changed the incident code from “suspicious person” to “assault on an officer.” He also was a police commander when the Aurora Police Department used smoke canisters to disperse a 2020 protest. Both events resulted in the city of Aurora settling civil cases.
Boulder City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde has noted that there have been no allegations of misconduct against Redfearn related to the investigation of McClain’s death.
The Boulder County Branch’s opposition to Redfearn’s role in the police department led to a series of publicized feuds and to Rivera-Vandermyde filing a complaint against ※DzԲԴǰ in 2024.
※DzԲԴǰ against the city of Boulder and city officials. In that suit, ※DzԲԴǰ claimed that Rivera-Vandermyde, Police Chief Redfearn and the city violated his right to free speech and retaliated against him for his continued public criticism. On June 9, the city requested that the lawsuit be dismissed.
Who are the defendants?
Some of the defendants are prominent area social justice activists, beyond their work with the Boulder County Branch.
Strong Robinson marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was given a lifetime achievement award from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission in 2023. She is also a minister for Second Baptist Church in Boulder.
Strong Woodley has dedicated much of her life to social justice work, as well. Both have been involved in area Juneteenth celebrations.
※DzԲԴǰ, an attorney, has been a vocal social activist for years and works with Longmontap Juneteenth celebration.
Golightly-Howell was Colorado’s first Black female prosecutor and was the director of Civil Rights for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Jude Landsman, Darren O’Connor, Glenda Strong Robinson and Louisa Matthias could not be reached for comment.
This article has been updated to include all defendants.
