Cathy Havener Greer, MEMBER
Education
- Juris Doctor: University of Kansas School of Law, 1976.
- Bachelor of Arts: Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, 1973
Major: Asian Studies – History
Licensure
- Ms. Greer is admitted in Colorado, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and in Missouri.
Professional Affiliations and Activities
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- International Association of Defense Counsel, Dean of the Corporate Counsel College, 2010
- International Association of Defense Counsel, Executive Committee, 2001-2004
- Trial Academy Faculty, 1998 Employment Law Committee, Chair 1999-2001
- Governmental Civil Rights and Administrative Law Committee, Chair 1997-1999
- ABOTA – American Board of Trial Advocacy.
- Defense Research Institute Governmental Liability Committee, Chair 1999-2001
- Colorado Bar Association, Ethics Committee, 1984-1992
- National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), 2009-Present
- Faculty of Federal Advocates
- Center for Legal Inclusiveness, Board Member 2007-2011
Ms. Greer has been practicing law since 1976. After serving as an assistant attorney general for the State of Colorado, as counsel to the Colorado Bank Commissioner, and the Colorado Savings and Loan Commissioner, as well as serving as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Missouri, she entered private practice in 1987. Since then, she has focused on civil litigation, primarily in the areas of business litigation, employment, and civil rights defense. Her practice includes the defense of corporations and public entities and officials in federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as before administrative agencies. Her practice also involves advising corporations on electronic discovery, document preservation and retention issues.
Ms. Greer served as a board member of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness and served as the co-chair of the Pipeline Working Group of the Deans’ Diversity Council. Ms. Greer was the Dean of the 2010 Corporate Counsel College of the International Association of Defense Counsel. She has been listed in every edition of Colorado’s Super Lawyers and is recognized in Best Lawyers. She is named a 2018 Best Lawyers® Lawyer for Litigation – Labor and Employment. She is a frequent speaker in Colorado and nationally on employment, risk prevention, and constitutional and civil rights issues. She participated in the Oxford Strategic Leadership Program at the University of Oxford Templeton College in 2002, and was an invited lecturer there in 2003. Ms. Greer is a member of the IADC and served as a member of the IADC Executive Committee from 2001 through 2004 and as a faculty member at the 1998 Defense Counsel Trial Academy.
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Special Distinctions
Best Lawyers
Trustee of Randolph College, 2011-Present; Chair of the Board of Trustees July 2015 – Present
Dean of the Corporate Counsel College of the International Association of Defense Counsel, 2010
Board of Directors, Center for Legal Inclusiveness (formerly Colorado Campaign for Inclusive Excellence), 2007-2011
Lecturer, Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme, 2003, Participant 2002
Contributor, Colorado Supreme Court Committee on Civil Jury Instructions, 1994
Assistant Attorney General, State of Colorado, 1982-1987
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Jackson County, Missouri, 1977-1980
Memberships
International Association of Defense Counsel, Executive Committee, 2001-2004
Governmental Civil Rights and Administrative Law Committee, Chair 1997-1999
Defense Research Institute
National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF)
Presentations
Defense Research Institute Civil Rights and Governmental Tort Liability Seminar
International Association of Defense Counsel Annual and Mid-Year Meetings, 1995-1998, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2015; Corporate Counsel College, 2009, 2016, 2018
Colorado Bar Association Annual Meeting, 2000
CLE of Colorado Employment Law 1999-2015 various seminars
Colorado County Attorneys Association Annual and Mid-Year Conferences, 1993-2012
Annual Judicial Conference of the State of Colorado, 1992
Publications
Author, “Governmental Employment Immunity in Actions Brought Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983,” The Colorado Lawyer, October 2009
Author, “Qualified Immunity: Defending the Individual Government Official,” For The Defense, Vol. 45, No. 6, June 2003
Co-Author, “Issues Relating to Public Employers,” Continuing Legal Education of Colorado, Inc.’s The Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Employment Law, 1998, 2008 update, 2010 Update
Co-Author, “Rule 59 Motions in the Trial Court for Post Judgment Relief,” West’s Colorado Civil Procedure Forms and Commentary, 1996, 2005 update
Representative Cases
McDonald V. Wise, 769 F.3d 1202 (10th Cir. 2014)
Teigen v. Renfrow, 511 F.3d 1072 (10th Cir. 2007)
Abromeit v. Denver Career Svc. Bd., 140 P.3d 44 (Colo. App. 2005)
Board of County Commissioners of Fremont County, Colorado v. United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 405 F.3d 840 (10th Cir. 2005)
Hulen v. Yates, 322 F.3d 1229 (10th Cir. 2003)
Neiberger, et al. v. Hawkins, 239 F.Supp.2d 1140 (D. Colo. 2002)
McGarry v. Bd. of County Comm’rs, 175 F.3d 1193 (10th Cir. 1999)
Green v. Yates, et al., 172 F.3d 878 (10th Cir. 1999)(unpublished)(qualified immunity and constitutional claims; motion to dismiss, summary judgment for defendants upheld; fees awarded in the trial court)
Tracy v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., 185 F.R.D. 303 (D. Colo. 1998)(restricting discovery absent evidence that employer maintained or pursued a national policy concerning overtime in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act)
Workman v. Jordan, 32 F.3d 476 (10th Cir. 1994) (qualified immunity; liberty interest; judgment for defendants)
Workman v. Jordan, 958 F.2d 332 (10th Cir. 1992) (establishing that a trial court judge cannot postpone ruling on qualified immunity to trial; and that decision to postpone is effective as a denial of qualified immunity, allowing interlocutory appeal)
Board of County Com’rs of Summit County v. DeLozier, 917 P.2d 714 (Colo. 1996)(promissory estoppel; Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (CGIA))
Dawson v. Reider, 872 P.2d 212 (Colo. 1994) (establishing statute of limitations under the “Colorado Auto Accident Reparations Act,” CGIA)
Colorado Soc. Of Community and Institutional Psychologists, Inc. v. Lamm, 741 P.2d 707 (Colo. 1987)(reversing district court order invalidating psychologist licensing act)
Holland v. Board of County Com’rs of County of Douglas,883 P.2d 500 (Colo App. 1994) (affirming dismissal of tort and contract claims by former county attorney, cert. denied)
Representative Experience
- Succesfully defended municipality sued by former presiding municpal judge after city and county did not reappoint her as judge.
- Achieved defense verdict of public employer in federal court jury trial of case alleging constructive discharge, breach of an employment contract, and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and interference and retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
- Achieved summary judgment on behalf of title company in multi party state court litigation involving multi-million dollar damage claims for alleged fraud and negligence in providing real estate closing services.
- Successfully defended individual employee sued by former employer which alleged violation of a covenant not to compete and misappropriation of trade secrets. The individual had secured employment with another company and was sued by the former employer which sought a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order.
- Successfully defended a financial services company in an arbitration involving claims brought before the National Association of Securities Dealers by former brokers and administrative employee alleging wrongful termination, breach of contract, and conversion.
- Successfully defended nonparty corporation that was served a subpoena for extensive electronically stored information in a federal court class action suit arising out of an employee stock ownership plan; court awarded attorneys fees to client.
- Served as an expert witness for attorneys fees in employment litigation in United States District Court for the District of Colorado.
