DENVER (KDVR) — A jury determined that a woman who filed a civil lawsuit against a Longmont Econo Lodge should receive $4.5 million for the injuries she received at the hotel.
A four-day trial wrapped up in the civil case of two women, a daughter and her mother, who were violently assaulted at an Econo Lodge. The hotel will have to pay over $4 million in damages thanks to a jury's verdict.
On Jan. 4, 2023, the victim was supposed to go to the Denver International Airport to leave behind her toxic relationship. But on Jan. 3, 2023, Cody Czichos nearly killed his former girlfriend at a hotel in Longmont. FOX31 has chosen not to identify the victim in this case for her own safety.
The victim and her mother had initially agreed to allow Czichos into the room to say goodbye, but kicked him out after he became "irrational." He left the room, but went to the hotel's front desk.
Employees there can be heard on 911 recordings telling police that Czichos appeared to be "high off of pills" and "smells like he's been drinking as well." Still, the staff gave Czichos a key to the victim's room and only called 911 after giving him the key.
"You guys like basically opened the door and let him come after me," the victim said in a 2023 interview with FOX31's Problem Solvers. "He kicked me on the floor, and that's when he knocked my tooth out, and he was like, 'I like the smell of your blood.'"
Czichos also stabbed the victim and assaulted her mother, leading the pair to file the civil suit against the Econo Lodge in Longmont, hoping to hold the business accountable.
"I think the jury saw very clearly that this company engaged in some serious negligence with some really bad facts with how they handle the security and safety at their hotel," Attorney Matthew Haltzman, who represents the victims, told FOX31's Talya Cunningham. "This is a huge win; there's no other way to put it."
The jury deliberated for two hours before determining the hotel needs to pay the victims $4.5 million for pain, suffering and permanent disability.
Aurora man sentenced to 14 years for deadly hit-and-run while fleeing shoplifting"If you could name the name on the reservation and provide a room number, they would give anyone who walked off the street a key, and that's exactly what happened in this case," Haltzman told Cunningham.
He said that the victim is "traumatized by the negligence" of Econo Lodge, but also feels vindicated. Originally, the hotel offered $20,000 in a settlement, which the victims rejected. Cunningham reached out to the attorney and law firm representing the hotel, but has not received a reply.
In terms of the criminal charges, Czichos pleaded guilty and is serving a 15-year sentence.
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