Under direction of the Colorado Court of Appeals, District 11 Judge Amanda Hunter has ordered a reversal of a ruling that favored Alison Brown, Ph.D., in her lawsuit against Chaffee County over a land-use dispute.
Hunter had originally ruled that Chaffee County “abused its discretion … by denying Alison Brown’s application for a Limited Impact Review (LIR) permit to operate a dog kennel.” Hunter had also granted Brown’s motion for summary judgement.
As part of that ruling, Hunter rescinded two County decisions, one by the Chaffee County Board of Adjustment, and one by the Chaffee Board of County Commissioners.
The Court of Appeals reversed both rulings and remanded them back to District Court in August 2025. As instructed by the Court of Appeals, Hunter has now reinstated:
- The decision of the Board of Adjustment upholding the County planning director’s interpretation of the terms “kennel” and “parcel.”
- The decision of the County Commissioners denying Dr. Brown’s application for a Limited Impact Review permit.
By upholding the County’s denial of the Limited Impact Review permit, the ruling deals a significant blow to Brown’s case against the County.
Nonetheless, Brown’s combination of financial resources and litigious local history suggest she may continue to litigate until all options are fully exhausted as she did when her federal property rights case against the County was dismissed with prejudice.
