Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- March 29, 2022
- Location
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Targets
- Stacy Lynne (Independent)
- Case number
- 23CV123
- Case Status
- Settled
- Type of case
- Civil
- Assailant
- Public figure
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Colorado journalist awarded $110,000 settlement in assault suit against city manager
Independent Colorado journalist Stacy Lynne received a $110,000 settlement to resolve an assault and battery lawsuit against City Manager Stephen Adams, the Loveland City Council confirmed on Jan. 2, 2024.
Lynne was covering a hearing on public records in March 2022 in Fort Collins when Adams “shoulder-checked” her, she told the Tracker that year. She had discovered at the hearing that Adams had been involved in blocking her access to records around a police detective’s employment files, which she had sued the city to access.
Lynne reported Adams’ behavior to the sheriff’s department, and the city filed criminal harassment charges against him. Adams entered into a diversion agreement with the court under which he was required to complete 50 hours of community service and a conflict management class. Larimer County Assistant District Attorney Matt Maillaro told the Tracker via email that Adams had completed the requirements by February 2023.
Separately, Lynne filed her own civil suit against Adams for assault and battery. The settlement award approved by the city council on Jan. 2 included $2,000 in mediation costs for Lynne and more than $35,000 in litigation costs for the city.
“As a fierce advocate for public records and the public's right to know how their money is being spent, part of my settlement agreement includes NO confidentiality agreement,” Lynne told the Tracker in January. “The taxpayers funded Adams' legal defense in the civil case and paid for the settlement, thus, they have a right to know how much it cost them.”
The agreement stipulates that Adams denies any liability or wrongdoing.
Colorado independent journalist Stacy Lynne told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Loveland City Manager Stephen Adams “shoulder-checked” her while she was covering a hearing on public records on March 29, 2022.
“It still shocks me to realize that he actually hit me,” Lynne said. “I didn't even have time to adjust or brace, I didn't have time to defend myself at all.”
As part of an investigation, Lynne had sued the city of Loveland in 2021 for access to records around a police detective’s employment files. In January 2022, a district court judge granted her unredacted access to the files. Lynne said she was attending the March evidentiary hearing for the Loveland mayor’s public records request which referenced her reporting.
It was at the hearing, Lynne said, where she realized Adams had been involved in blocking access to the public records. Adams did not respond to requests for comment.
After the incident, Lynne filed a report with the sheriff’s department. She said it took 72 days for harassment charges to be filed.
In October, Adams entered into a diversion agreement, a contract with the court that allows first-time offenders to resolve cases outside the criminal justice process. Larimer County Assistant District Attorney Matt Maillaro told the Tracker via email that the case remained open while Adams completed the conditions of his diversion agreement — 50 hours of community service and a conflict management class. According to the DA’s office, failure to meet the conditions could result in prosecution. Adams is expected to complete the agreement in February 2023.
Several months after the assault, Lynne said she was satisfied with how the DA’s office handled the case but was still disturbed by the city manager’s actions.
“His intention was clearly to scare me enough that I would stop reporting on what the city's problems are,” Lynne said. “So that's the chilling aspect, to make it clear that this was no accident.”
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
