Court rules Colorado Springs can be held liable in contamination suit

The state Supreme Court has ruled that Colorado Springs can be held liable in a lawsuit that claimed some downtown workers were exposed to carcinogenic materials from a city-owned property.

The Gazette reports the Monday ruling comes after the Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts filed a lawsuit in 2013, claiming its employees in the Trestle Building were exposed to asbestos and other cancer-causing agents after the city demolished its Gas Administration Building next door.

Smokebrush founder Kat Tudor says six workers contracted respiratory illnesses after the dirt on the property was disturbed.

Tudor says Smokebrush’s goal is for the city to take responsibility and get the site cleaned up.

The city’s attorney Wynetta Massey declined to comment on the ruling, citing the pending litigation.