Denver, CO – A federal lawsuit charges the City and County of Denver, Office of the Mayor, and Ben Sanders, Chief Equity Officer of the Denver Mayor’s Office of Social Equity & Innovation, with political retaliation in violation of the First Amendment and with sex discrimination.

 Jessica Calderon, a Latina who is the  Director of Operations and Innovation in the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity & Innovation, sues Sanders in his individual and official capacities. He is her immediate supervisor.

 Calderon’s lawsuit* [1:24-cv-02406-NYW-TPO], filed in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado alleges Sanders repeatedly confronted her about her association with Dr. Lisa Calderon [no relation], and her affiliation with Latinos United Neighbors Association (LUNA), a grassroots community advocacy organization of Latino leaders founded by and led by Dr. Lisa Calderon.

Jessica Calderon supported Dr. Calderon in her campaign for Denver Mayor, in which she ran against Mayor Michael Johnston in the 2023 election.

Following Sanders’ confrontations with Jessica Calderon, the City and Sanders denied her the Deputy Executive Director position, which would have been a promotion.

The City and Sanders selected Brian Firooz for the Deputy  Executive Director position. Right before the City and Sanders selected Fiooz, he worked as the Family Economic Mobility Manager with Gary Community Ventures from May 2022 through July 2024.

Likewise, immediately before Mayor Johnston began serving as Mayor, he served as President & CEO of Gary Community Ventures from January 2020 through July 2023.

The lawsuit filed by Denver-based attorney Steven Murray alleges Calderon was more qualified than Firooz.

Calderon had greater seniority with the City, more significant and specific experience in the Office of Social Equity & Innovation, successful performance of the duties of the Deputy Executive Director position, and more compelling educational credentials.

Calderon earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Metropolitan State University in Denver, and a Master’s Certification in Public Leadership from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government in 2021.

Calderon contends that in addition to denying her the Deputy Executive position, the City and Sanders continue to retaliate and discriminate against her by continually criticizing and scrutinizing other positions under her supervision, denying her opportunities that she previously held while providing these opportunities to her male colleagues, and failing to support her effort to fully fund the Digital Equity position under her leadership.

Calderon claims the City and Sanders unlawfully retaliated against her because she exercised her First Amendment rights of association and expression.

“Individuals do not lose all their First Amendment rights by accepting employment with the City and County of Denver. The First Amendment provides clearly established fundamental rights and protections for public employees against workplace retaliation because of their political associations and affiliations with organizations advocating on matters of public concern,” said Steven Murray, Calderon’s attorney.

Calderon also asserts claims of sex discrimination against the City and Sanders under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, plus claims for national origin discrimination and retaliation against the City under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

Calderon requests a jury trial and seeks back pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and other relief.

*For more information and for the lawsuit itself, please contact:

Steven L. Murray
Murray Law, LLC
3900 East Mexico Avenue, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80210
303-396-9952
Steven@smurraylaw.com
www.smurraylaw.com
Employment Law & Trial Practice

CASE INFORMATION

United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Jessica Calderon, Plaintiff v. City and County Denver, Office of the Mayor and Ben Sanders, in his individual and official capacities. Defendants.
Case No. 1:24-cv-02406-NYW-TPO