Fort Collins, Colorado— Haltzman Law Firm, P.C. is proud to announce that the case of Gonzales, et al. v. Econo Lodge at Longmont, et al. has been selected as one of three finalists for the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA) Case of the Year Award. Lead Counsel Matthew Haltzman and Co-Counsel Mark Haltzman  represented the plaintiffs in this landmark matter.

Being nominated for the Case of the Year Award is an extraordinary distinction — being selected as a finalist is an even greater one. The firm is deeply humbled by this recognition and the confidence the CTLA has placed in the work performed on behalf of our clients.

The CTLA Case of the Year Award acknowledges the positive impact that a single case can have on correcting injustices, advancing fairness under the law, changing attitudes, and providing economic incentives to protect public safety. It is among the most prestigious honors the Colorado legal community bestows upon trial lawyers.

Haltzman Law Firm also makes history as First-Ever Finalist from the City in the Award’s 30-Year History. In the award’s 30-year history, no law firm from Fort Collins has ever been selected as a finalist. Haltzman Law Firm, P.C. is honored to break that barrier and to represent the Fort Collins legal community on this distinguished stage. Thank you, to everyone who put our case out there and brought it to the state level.

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Fort Collins, Colorado – A federal judge concluded last week that a jury will need to resolve whether two Fort Collins police officers violated a man’s constitutional rights by using excessive force after he refused to accept a citation.

In a Jan. 21 order, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney analyzed the severity of plaintiff Andru Kulas’ alleged offenses, whether he was an immediate threat to the officers’ safety, and whether he resisted arrest. While a jury might view Kulas as posing a danger when he touched the hand of one officer, Sweeney decided the evidence did not favor the defendants’ argument that force was justified.

“Defendants’ characterization of Plaintiff’s supposed ‘threat’ does not overcome what the Officer Defendants’ body cam footage plainly shows,” she wrote.

Body-worn cameras captured the entirety of Kulas’ interaction with Officer Avery Hanzlicek and then-Officer Kevin Park just before 2 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2021. The officers responded to a report that Kulas was one of multiple people trespassing on the roof of a bar.

Kulas, holding a burrito and displaying signs of intoxication, approached the officers as Hanzlicek was writing a trespassing citation. Park directed Kulas to stand back, prompting Kulas to speak belligerently to the officers.

“You can’t talk to me man-to-man with a burrito in my hand?” Kulas asked, alleging that three men pushed down a woman who was speaking nearby to other officers.

Park again directed Kulas to back away. He complied while still talking to the officers about the alleged assault on the woman. Hanzlicek asked for Kulas’ phone number, which he declined to give.

After Kulas said he “totally understand(s) where you guys are coming from,” Hanzlicek informed Kulas that he was receiving a citation. Kulas became incredulous and declined to sign the paperwork. He told the officers they could keep his identification card and refused to take the citation.

Park warned Kulas that if he did not take it, “there’s gonna be a warrant for your arrest when you don’t show up in court.” Kulas responded he would show up because he knew an attorney.

Park started to stuff the citation into Kulas’ bent elbow, prompting Kulas to back up to a bank building. Park followed him, still trying to give Kulas the paper. Kulas used his arm to swat Park’s hand, after which Park grabbed him.

“Are you serious right now?” Kulas asked as the men went to the ground.

The officers repeatedly told Kulas to “stop resisting,” and Kulas repeatedly asked if they were “serious right now.”

After Kulas was subdued face-up on the ground, Park held a bottle of pepper spray close to his face and threatened to use it. Kulas, once more, asked, “Are you serious?” Park sprayed him in the eyes.

The prosecution later dismissed the charges of trespass, obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest after Kulas completed a “better choices” class and completed community service.

The officer defendants, along with the city of Fort Collins, moved to end Kulas’ federal lawsuit in their favor without a trial, arguing that there was insufficient evidence of excessive force.

“Plaintiff was agitated and fueled by alcohol, but more importantly, he struck Officer Park. From that point forward, Plaintiff repeatedly refused to obey commands, and specifically threatened the Officers,” wrote the defendants’ attorneys. “There is little doubt from the perspective of the Officers that Plaintiff posed a threat.”

Sweeney determined a jury could see things differently.

First, she noted Kulas’ actions amounted only to a misdemeanor and were relatively “harmless.” Second, Kulas was trying to move away from Park when he swatted Park’s hand with one arm, while holding a burrito in the other.

Finally, jurors could “certainly find that Plaintiff was not impermissibly resisting arrest, particularly where Defendant Hanzlicek’s body cam footage shows Plaintiff did not resist the Officer Defendants when they raised his arms and placed him in handcuffs,” she wrote. Moreover, “Plaintiff was completely immobilized when Defendant Park sprayed the OC spray into Plaintiff’s eyes.”

Although the defendants briefly argued they were entitled to qualified immunity, which shields government employees from civil lawsuits unless they violate a person’s clear legal rights, Sweeney determined their argument was so meager as to be insufficient.

At the same time, Sweeney sided with the defendants on Kulas’ unlawful arrest claims and his claim that the city itself was liable for his injuries. She did, however, permit Kulas’ failure-to-intervene claim against Hanzlicek to proceed in connection with Park’s alleged excessive force.

Sweeney has scheduled a jury trial for July.

The case is Kulas v. City of Fort Collins et al.

See the article here: https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/01/30/federal-judge-green-lights-excessive-force-trial-against-fort-collins-officers/

Fort Collins, Colorado – Haltzman Law Firm, P.C. has earned the 16th ranking on Louisiana State University’s 2025 LSU100 list of fastest growing LSU graduate owned or led companies. To be considered for the list, companies must apply each year. The LSU ROARING20 list celebrates the twenty highest revenue generating businesses from those that apply for the LSU100.

See the announcement here: https://www.lsu.edu/business/news/2025/9/lsu-announces-the-2025-lsu-100-and-lsu-roaring-20.php

A Longmont area hotel will be sold in a sheriff’s auction after Weld County said it failed to fork over a $4.5 million payout levied when a jury found the hotel negligent in giving a room key to a man who entered the room and violently assaulted a mother and her daughter.

The Econo Lodge, off Interstate 25 and Colo. 119 in Del Camino, was ordered to pay $4.05 million in May. That payout includes $3 million for physical injuries suffered by the daughter, who was stabbed in the face, and $1.05 million for emotional distress and other “non-economic” damages suffered by both women, according to court records.

The hotel has not paid, according to Weld County court records. The county was ordered to enforce the payment of more than $4.52 million after the hotel did not pay, according to an Aug. 18 writ of execution.

The total is larger than the initial $4.05 million because of compounded interest and the required payment of the victims’ court costs, according to online court documents.

Now, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office will hold an auction for the Econo Lodge property on Dec. 11, aiming to net the full owed amount, which would go to the two women, according to a legal notice of the sale.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for a new owner,” the women’s lawyer, Matthew Haltzman, said over the phone. Haltzman said the previous owners showed poor management throughout the duration of the case. He said that the upcoming sale is not the end of the women’s pursuit of justice.

“It’s a step,” Haltzman said. “It’s not a complete step.”

The June 2023 lawsuit accused the hotel of recklessly failing to ensure the safety of its guests, failing to follow safety policies such as restricting room access to guests and hiring unqualified individuals.

In January 2023, the mother and daughter invited 31-year-old Cody M. Czichos, who was dating the daughter, to the room to eat pizza and watch television. He began acting erratically and unpredictably, the women said, and the two asked him to leave.

The two women never told hotel employees that Czichos should have access to the room, nor did they give him a key card to get in, the complaint said. He was also neither a registered guest of the hotel nor listed in reference to the room.

When he returned to the hotel — in the early morning hours of Jan. 4 — he approached the front desk, the complaint alleged. Both front desk employees told police that Czichos mentioned he took a lot of Xanax, among other “ominous statements,” the lawsuit said, but neither employee took any action.

After displaying intoxicated behavior in the hotel lobby for 45 minutes to an hour, the complaint alleged, Czichos requested a key card to the women’s room, and the employees gave it to him.

Czichos returned to the room and slapped one of the women before slicing the other woman’s face and hand as she tried to fight him off, records show.

Czichos is serving a 15-year sentence for the attack, after pleading guilty in April 2024 to attempted second-degree murder, third-degree assault and first-degree trespassing as part of a plea agreement, Colorado court records show.

The auction for the hotel property will be at 10 a.m. Dec. 11, at the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at 1950 O Street in Greeley.

See the original article here: https://www.denverpost.com/2025/10/30/econo-lodge-auction-longmont-assaults/

LONGMONT, Colo. — The owners of a Longmont Econo Lodge have been ordered to sell the hotel to help pay a $4 million judgment awarded to two women who were violently attacked there in 2023.

A Weld County jury in May found the hotel responsible for giving a room key to someone who was not authorized to have one, an act that led to the assault. Six months later, the women have not received any of the money awarded, prompting the court to take the unusual step of ordering the sheriff’s office to seize and sell the property.

“We're going after them. There's no doubt about it,” said attorney Matthew Haltzman.

Haltzman represents the two women who were staying at the hotel on the night of Jan. 3, 2023. According to police reports and court records, the women had invited 31-year-old Cody Czichos to their room for pizza. When Czichos began behaving erratically, they asked him to leave.

Haltzman said that Czichos then went to the front desk, gave the women’s names and room number, and was given a key without authorization.

“The front desk gave him a key, and then he used that key to break into my clients' rooms and violently attack them,” Haltzman said.

Czichos stabbed one woman in the face and hand and assaulted the other before fleeing. He is now serving a prison sentence for attempted murder.

Jurors awarded the women $4 million in damages after hearing testimony about what happened and how the hotel handled the situation.

Since that verdict, Haltzman said, the hotel’s ownership group has failed to pay any portion of the judgment. Weld County courts have now directed the sheriff’s office to auction the hotel to the highest bidder on Dec. 11.

“It is very unusual, and it is a complicated and technical legal process,” Haltzman said. “But nonetheless worthwhile to do in the interest of compensating the victims.”

Haltzman said both women see a silver lining in the forced sale.

“This is a hotel that was engaging in an incredible level of negligence that ultimately harmed two very vulnerable people,” he said. “When the hotel is sold to an investment group or an individual, my clients see that as an opportunity for change that betters the community.”

The Dec. 11 auction through the Weld County Sheriff’s Office is open to the public.

See the original article here: https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/longmont-hotel-ordered-sold-pay-judgment-attack/73-24a63365-80b7-466d-a5c8-3bce3f379bf9

LONGMONT, Colo. (KDVR) — The Econo Lodge that sits along Interstate 25 is headed to the auction block and not by choice. FOX31 has learned the forcible sale stems from the owners refusing to pay a multi-million-dollar judgment to guests who were nearly killed in one of the hotel rooms.

“The defendant continues to drag this out and make it as painful for the victims as they can,’ Haltzman told FOX31.

Haltzman has been seeking justice for the two women who experienced a near-death experience behind the walls of the Econo Lodge in Longmont. In 2023, hotel staff reported Cody Czichos was intoxicated, high and erratic in the hotel lobby, but still gave him a room key to where the victim and her mother were staying, even though he was not a registered guest.

Czichos stabbed the victim’s hand and face with a large knife, dragged her to the floor, kicked her and ripped her tooth out. He also got physical with the victim’s mother.

The victim and her mother filed a civil lawsuit against the Econo Lodge in Longmont to hold the owners accountable. The two won the jury trial and were awarded a judgment of more than $4 million. That large sum of money is the hotel’s responsibility to pay out to the victims, but after a successful verdict, the victims hit another speed bump.

“Since the judgment in May, not a single dollar has been paid to the victims,” Haltzman shared. “This continues to be a company that does not accept responsibility for what happened for both the night that it occurred and for what the jury said”.

Haltzman goes on to tell FOX31 that despite multiple attempts to recoup the money, they’ve been met with resistance from the hotel owners. The lack of payment has now forced Haltzman to file with the court to seize assets, which a judge granted.

The Weld County Sheriff’s Office is now conducting a public auction for the property. The highest bidder, whether it be an investor or private citizen, will get the land with the money going to the victims as part of the $4 million they’re owed.

FOX31 obtained the notice of sale paperwork, and the auction is only one day on December 11th at 10 a.m.

If anyone is interested in bidding on the property, contact the Weld County Sheriff’s Office or the Haltzman Law Firm at 970-692-3440.

According to Haltzman, the sudden sale of the hotel is due to negligent behavior.

“First off, it’s a consequence of their negligence,” Haltzman said. “This is what happens when the defendant decides they’re not going to pay on the judgment.”

FOX31 reached out to the ownership and their attorney’s office, but they declined to comment.

Czichos was arrested and pleaded guilty to attempted murder, among several other charges and is currently serving a prison sentence.

See the original article here: https://kdvr.com/news/problem-solvers/longmont-econo-lodge-to-be-auctioned-of-after-failing-to-pay-4-million-judgement/

The Longmont Econo Lodge near the intersection of Interstate 25 and State Highway 119 is being sold in a sheriff’s sale on December 11 after the lodge failed to pay a $4 million judgment for negligence that led to assault and attempted murder. 

The original judgment stems from an incident that occurred in a room of the lodge on January 4, 2023 when Cody Czichos, an unregistered guest, stabbed Nicole Gallegos, his ex-girlfriend, in the face. The incident occurred because the hotel staff provided Czichos with a room key without verifying he was a registered guest. Czichos also “brutally stomped on Gallegos’ head,” knocking out her teeth and causing a traumatic brain injury according to the lawsuit. He also “savagely kicked” Gallegos and broke eight of her ribs and assaulted Gallegos’ mother Carol. He was kicked out of the room earlier in the night and there were several other warning signs that the staff did not heed before providing Czichos with a room key. 

The plaintiff’s attorney, Matthew Haltzman of Haltzman Law Firm, told the Longmont Leader that the sheriff’s sale is a necessary step toward providing compensation to the victims who suffered due to the defendant’s negligence. Bidding for the sheriff’s sale is open to the public and the highest bidder wins. 

“The upcoming auction is the direct result of the defendant's choices,” Haltzman said. “First, the negligence that caused harm to innocent people, and second, the refusal to accept responsibility by satisfying the judgment entered against them. Our clients simply want to move forward with their lives. This sheriff's sale is a mechanism provided by law to ensure that justice is not merely symbolic, but tangible and meaningful for the victims. We remain hopeful that all parties affected will find resolution through this process, and that our clients can finally receive the compensation they are owed and deserve.”

Czichos is currently serving a 15 year sentence after pleading guilty to attempted murder, assault, and trespassing in 2024. 

See the original article here: https://www.longmontleader.com/colorado-news/longmont-econolodge-sheriffs-sale-scheduled-for-december-to-cover-4-million-judgment-11415936

A Longmont area hotel will be sold in a sheriff’s auction after Weld County said it failed to fork over a $4.5 million payout levied when a jury found the hotel negligent in giving a room key to a man who entered the room and violently assaulted a mother and her daughter.

The Econo Lodge, off Interstate 25 and Colorado 119 in Del Camino, was ordered to pay $4.05 million in May. That payout includes $3 million for physical injuries suffered by the daughter, who was stabbed in the face, and $1.05 million for emotional distress and other “non-economic” damages suffered by both women, according to court records.

The hotel has not paid, according to Weld County court records. The county was ordered to enforce the payment of more than $4.52 million after the hotel did not pay, according to an Aug. 18 writ of execution.

The total is larger than the initial $4.05 million because of compounded interest and the required payment of the victims’ court costs, according to online court documents.

Now, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office will hold an auction for the Econo Lodge property on Dec. 11, aiming to net the full owed amount, which would go to the two women, according to a legal notice of the sale.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for a new owner,” the women’s lawyer, Matthew Haltzman, said over the phone. Haltzman said the previous owners showed poor management throughout the duration of the case. He said that the upcoming sale is not the end of the women’s pursuit of justice.

“It’s a step,” Haltzman said. “It’s not a complete step.”

The June 2023 lawsuit accused the hotel of recklessly failing to ensure the safety of its guests, failing to follow safety policies such as restricting room access to guests and hiring unqualified individuals.

In January 2023, the mother and daughter invited 31-year-old Cody M. Czichos, who was dating the daughter, to the room to eat pizza and watch television. He began acting erratically and unpredictably, the women said, and the two asked him to leave.

The two women never told hotel employees that Czichos should have access to the room, nor did they give him a key card to get in, the complaint said. He was also neither a registered guest of the hotel nor listed in reference to the room.

When he returned to the hotel — in the early morning hours of Jan. 4 — he approached the front desk, the complaint alleged. Both front desk employees told police that Czichos mentioned he took a lot of Xanax, among making other “ominous statements,” the lawsuit said, but neither employee took any action.

After displaying intoxicated behavior in the hotel lobby for 45 minutes to an hour, the complaint alleged that Czichos requested a key card to the women’s room, and the employees gave it to him.

Czichos returned to the room and slapped one of the women before slicing the other woman’s face and hand as she tried to fight him off, records show.

Czichos is serving a 15-year sentence for the attack, after pleading guilty in April 2024 to attempted second-degree murder, third-degree assault and first-degree trespassing as part of a plea agreement, Colorado court records show.

The auction for the hotel property will be at 10 a.m. Dec. 11, at the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at 1950 O Street in Greeley.

See the original article here: https://www.timescall.com/2025/10/30/econo-lodge-auction-longmont-assaults/

LONGMONT, Colo. – A hotel at the center of a lawsuit — where a mother and daughter were attacked in 2023 after the daughter’s ex-boyfriend was given a key to their room — will be offered for public sale by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a notice of sale document obtained by Denver7, the property is set for public auction on December 11 at 10 a.m.

The latest development comes after a Weld County jury in May awarded the two women more than $4 million in damages after they were attacked while staying in the EconoLodge in Longmont.

The women claimed they invited the daughter’s ex-boyfriend, Cody Czichos, to their room and later told him to leave after he was “acting irrationally and unpredictably.”

The ex-boyfriend left the room and later went to the front desk where a hotel employee gave him a key without the permission of the women, according to the lawsuit.

Czichos stabbed the daughter and assaulted the mother and later pleaded guilty in his criminal case to attempted murder, assault and trespassing. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

According to the victims’ civil attorney, Matthew Haltzman, the auction comes after the hotel refused to pay the $4 million judgment.

“A jury heard that trial over a period of four days and awarded our clients over $4 million in a verdict, and since that date, in May, we have been working to collect that judgment for our clients from that hotel, and they have refused to pay,” said Haltzman. "Not a single dollar has been made for payment on that judgment, and so we have taken action by asking the court to direct the Sheriff of Weld County to order a sale of that hotel, and that's what's going to be occurring on December 11 of this year, in order to work on compensating the victims of this horrific case.”

According to the notice, funds from the sale would go towards the judgment.

“This is all about the victims of the case... at the end of the day, this is about getting compensation for them and getting the judgment that they're owed that was determined by a jury of their peers,” said Haltzman. "I think the idea that this hotel can change hands and be run by somebody that is not Premier Hospitality Incorporated, which is the group that was responsible for what happened, will be a huge relief to our clients... It's the opportunity to have somebody take it over and do something good with it, and it's also the opportunity to be compensated for what they fairly deserve.”

Denver7 has reached out to hotel ownership which previously declined to comment.

See the original article here: https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/longmont/longmont-hotel-at-center-of-4-million-judgement-set-for-public-auction