Custer County District Judge Lynette Wenner granted a motion yesterday to consolidate four separate cases against a Westcliffe chiropractor accused of unlawful sexual contact by multiple victims.
Formal charges have been filed on behalf of four female patients, who allege that 78-year-old Dr. Luis Marquez was sexually inappropriate during his treatment stemming from August 2019 to July 2021.
The Canon City Daily Record is reporting that Marquez’s defense attorney, Lindsay Brown, argued that there are important nuances between each of the four alleged victims and asked that the cases not be combined.
Deputy District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said the similarities go beyond just what was charged and argued that the cases are strikingly similar.
Judge Wenner yesterday found that the alleged acts are connected and ruled that the cases would be joined.
Marquez previously pleaded not guilty to one of the cases and is expected to enter the same plea in the other three at his next court appearance April 11 at which time a trial may be scheduled.
Marquez’s chiropractic license has been suspended pending the outcome of the court proceedings.
