AURORA, Colo. — Former Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, who was fired in 2022, is suing the city for wrongful termination, alleging she was fired in retaliation for her support of the department’s consent decree.
In the lawsuit filed Friday in the US District Court for the District of Colorado, Wilson is alleging her termination was the result of a conspiracy to get rid of her and a violation of her civil rights and public policy.
The lawsuit states Wilson had been with the Aurora Police Department (APD) for more than 20 years before becoming interim chief in Jan. 2020. She was made permanent chief of the department in August of 2020.
The court documents claim "Chief Wilson was appointed to the top leadership role of the APD at a time when the department was careening through a series of high-profile controversies under the former administration, many race-related, including the tragic murder of Elijah McClain at the hands of the Aurora police and fire departments."
The lawsuit continues to state that Wilson developed and implemented anti-bias policies and practices, while holding officers who violated the law accountable for their actions. Attorneys claim Wilson fired or demoted "over two dozen “bad apple” police officers during her tenure.”
Wilson was terminated on April 6, 2022, over what City Manager Jim Twombly said were concerns about her management and leadership of the department.
King & Greisen LLC, the firm representing Wilson, filed a notice of claim on Sept. 23, 2022, against the city, which is a prerequisite before a lawsuit can be filed.
“When new political winds came on board, they decided they were going to oust her because they didn't believe racism in the police department was a problem and didn't believe there was racism in policing in Aurora, and probably anywhere," said one of Wilson's attorneys, Paula Greisen. “There was a very concerted effort by certain police officers to push her out. And after the new City Council was put in place they made a promise that they would push her out and she would be removed. And it happened very quickly.”
Wilson alleges in the lawsuit that Twombly was pressured by city council members Danielle Jurinsky, Steve Sundberg, and Dustin Zvonek to fire her because of her support of the consent decree and her overall efforts to eradicate racism within the department.
Wilson’s termination came after the city and the department agreed in September of 2021 to enter into a consent decree based on a report from Attorney General Phil Weiser, alleging excessive force and racially biased police practices.
The lawsuit alleges that Jurinsky, Sundberg and Zvonek did not support the decree and at times attempted to thwart Wilson’s efforts to enforce it. She claims she was discriminated against because of her “association with people of color.”
Denver7 reached out to the three councilmembers named in the lawsuit. Sundberg did not want to comment, and Jurinsky did not reply at the time of publication.
Zvonek sent the following statement to Denver7 regarding the lawsuit:
“I’m not in town this week. I read that she is making the same fact free claim she has made before. Unfortunately for her you can’t just make stuff up, having evidence or some sort of proof is required for a lawsuit to move forward.”
In a 2022 statement to Denver7 at the time of the notice of claim filing, Ryan Luby, a spokesperson for the City of Aurora, said Wilson was not illegally terminated. Luby said the city will not comment on pending litigation when asked for a statement about Wilson's lawsuit.
Luby said Wilson received a termination of employment letter where it states she was fired for "failure to strategically review, assess, manage, and provide efficient oversight to the overall police department operations.”
Wilson is seeking an undisclosed amount for economic losses, including back pay, equitable relief, compensatory damages, non-economic losses for pain and suffering, and attorneys’ fees, among others.
