DENVER — Colorado State Rep. Leslie Herod says she feels vindicated after a Denver County Court judge stated that sexual assault allegations made against her “defied common sense,” during a hearing last month.
During that Feb. 12 hearing, Judge Clarisse Gonzales granted Herod (D-Denver) a protection order against her accuser, Sheena Kadi, while denying Kadi’s request for a permanent order against Herod.
“This experience has been extremely traumatizing, but it’s also been extremely disheartening, you know, to have these types of allegations lobbed at you out of the blue. It’s shocking,” Herod told Denver7 Investigates. “But I’m proud that we did get that vindication.”
These allegations became public last year, when Kadi posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Herod had sexually assaulted her. In a post from Dec. 14, 2023, Kadi names Herod as her assailant and said she’s been doxxed, hacked, threatened, harassed and received death threats.
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She also stated Herod “simply won’t own up to her sexual misconduct,” in her now-deleted post.
Kadi is the public information officer for the state’s Officer of the Treasurer and vice chair of public relations and marketing for the Colorado Democratic Party.
Denver7 does not typically name victims of sexual assault, but is making an exception because Kadi made her accusations public.
Kadi claimed Herod assaulted her in December 2019 in her home and that subsequent meetings included unwanted advances and threats.
Judge Gonzales called Kadi’s testimony regarding the sexual assault “incredible by this court, not only because the nature of her testimony just simply defies common sense in so many instances, but also because the other exhibits, directly the reliable evidence proves this to be simply not consistent,” according to the court transcript obtained by Denver7 Investigates.
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The judge noted that text messages showed Kadi had made it known that she wished to see Herod again romantically after the December 2019 meeting. Third-party witnesses also testified that Kadi bragged about having a “make-out” session with Herod, never suggesting that it was a sexual assault.
Gonzales also said the subsequent allegations of threats or unwanted advances were unsubstantiated and said during the hearing that “most of these are nothing more than somebody perhaps just ignoring you … or maybe, at most, being a little hurt.”
Rep. Leslie Herod claims vindication after Denver judge states sexual assault claims ‘defied common sense’
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“When the judge made her ruling, she was very clear 100% of the allegations were not credible,” Herod said. “And clearly, this person had been obsessed with me and put these allegations out there for her own personal reasons.”
The protection order states that Kadi must stay 100 feet away from Herod, except at the State Capitol where she must stay 25 feet away.
“I’m happy she’s been vindicated. I’m happy that these false allegations have been vanquished,” Herod’s attorney Harvey Steinberg said.
As a result of the ruling, Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib called on Kadi to resign her position with the organization.
“The court’s ruling couldn’t be clearer. Ms. Kadi’s regular attacks against Democrats is a violation of the Colorado Democratic Party’s code of conduct, and is made worse by the fact that the court discredited this specific and serious attack against Rep. Herod on “100 percent of the facts,” and says that it “defies common sense.’ I think it’s appropriate that Ms. Kadi resign from her official role in the Democratic Party,” Murib said in a statement.
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Herod said she agrees that Kadi should step down.
“It is the right thing to do. It was the right thing for the party to request her resignation. And it’s the right thing for her to step down,” she said.
The Colorado Department of the Treasury, in a statement, wrote that, “Ms. Kadi has been a member of the department for close to two and a half years. This issue is something she’s addressing in her personal capacity and it’s not something we can discuss beyond that. We remain focused on the important work we’re doing at Treasury.”
Denver7 Investigates reached Kadi by text message on Monday. She said she was out of the country and unavailable for an interview. She stated that she was unaware of any requests for her to resign her role with the state’s Democratic Party.
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In the second half at Sunday’s Broncos game, a rookie running back momentarily took all of the Denver crowd’s breath away. Audric Estimé caught a pass thrown by fellow rookie Bo Nix and hurdled an Atlanta Falcons defender, but the play got called back because of a penalty.
Running back Audric Estime of the Denver Broncos hurdles Clark Phillips III of the Atlanta Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday.
Brooke Sutton / Getty Images
Cornerback Clark Phillips III came in low to try to tackle Estimé, who had the ball tucked in his left arm, and Estimé jumped high in the air and floated right over Phillips. Another Falcons defender then tackled him as he was returning to Earth.
The play got called back because of an unnecessary roughness penalty on a Broncos offensive lineman.
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On Xfinity Monday Live, CBS Colorado host Romi Bean joked that he should be called “Air Estimé.” She asked him if he knew ahead of time that he was going to make his stunning leap.
“No I did not,” Estimé said. “It was kind of just like a reaction, honestly.”
“I saw (Phillips) kind of put his head down and close his eyes and that’s something I kind of did in college and I was like ‘This is my opportunity to do it,’” said Estimé, who played for Notre Dame in college.
“Have you always had hops?” Bean asked.
“I’d say so. I played basketball. I was grabbing rim in eighth grade,” he said. “I had pretty good vertical … like 30 and a half.”
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Bean asked Estimé if he might flash the hurdle again in an upcoming game.
“We’ll see. I just can’t be doing it too much,” Estimé said.
Estime saw his first NFL action in Week 1 against the Seahawks, but he wound up with an ankle injury and missed several games after that while he was on IR. It’s only in recent weeks that he has started to get more work in the Broncos backfield. He had 14 carries for 53 yards against the Chiefs, and on Sunday he had 6 rushes for 16 yards plus three catches for 9 yards. And after an early fumble, he has been more cautious with the football.
“Once you change your perspective of what that ball represents, you kind of hold it differently,” he said. “Coach (Sean) Payton really told me like, this ball represents everyone’s dreams. Thinking of it, it’s like something I’ve done my whole life. And playing at the highest level is my dream, and carrying that ball my whole life is what got me there. So I just, no matter what, I just have to hold onto it.
“Ball security trumps yards, and I have to just keep improving and I believe I will.”
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Estimé and the Broncos are now preparing for the Las Vegas Raiders. You can watch the game on Sunday afternoon on CBS Colorado.
Jesse Sarles
Jesse Sarles manages the web content and website operations for CBS Colorado. He writes articles about Colorado news and sports in and around the Denver area.
Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix were opponents in the 2019 and 2020 Iron Bowls. Now they’re teammates on the Denver Broncos.
Surtain has been a first-team All-Pro selection once and a Pro Bowl pick twice, and he currently leads the NFL in interception-return yards in his fourth season since Denver selected him at No. 9 in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Nix is a rookie, but he’s begun to attract accolades 11 starts after becoming the 12th pick in the NFL Draft on April 25. And Surtain foresees more recognition ahead for the Broncos quarterback.
“He’s him,” Surtain said. “I told him, ‘Man, you’re trying to win MVP. It’s not even looking like Offensive Rookie of the Year. It looks like MVP right now.’
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“But, man, it’s a testament to him. He puts the work in each and every week, and it shows with his preparation. He stays after hours to watch film, perfect his game. This is what you see from him. When you have games like this, it’s not a surprise because he puts the work in fundamentally each and every week.”
Surtain made the remark after the Broncos had beaten the Atlanta Falcons 38-6 on Sunday. Nix reached career highs in passing yards, touchdown passes, completion percentage and passing-efficiency rating as he completed 28-of-33 passes for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed 84.8 percent of his passes and posted a passer rating of 145.0.
In his NFL debut, Nix completed 26-of-42 passes for 138 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The former Pinson Valley High School star completed 61.9 percent of his passes and had a passer rating of 47.5 in a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 8.
“Our league, you’re learning each week,” Denver coach Sean Payton said, “and then pretty soon, you’re like, ‘I belong here.’ And it’s clear he belongs here.”
Nix became the first rookie in NFL history with 300 passing yards, four TD passes, no interceptions and a completion percentage of more than .750 in the same game on Sunday.
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“It’s a lot of fun to be able to be a part of, a lot of fun to watch him go out there and have fun,” Denver wide receiver Courtland Sutton said after Sunday’s game. “You can tell he’s like a kid, man. He’s just enjoying himself. And for your quarterback to be out there enjoying himself but not panic – there’s not one ounce of panic that goes upon him no matter what part of the game we’re in. It’s a lot of fun.”
Broncos safety P.J. Locke has his award projection for Nix set a little lower than Surtain, pitching the quarterback for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award after Sunday’s game.
“If it’s not, we got to go talk to somebody,” Locke said. “But, no, let me scale back. We still got a whole bunch of games, so I don’t want to mess up nothing. Keep taking it week by week. But I hope so. …
“Bo is not your average rookie, I would say. You can just tell, like, his confidence is growing. His leadership is growing. And it’s rubbing off on a lot of people. He’s going out there executing, getting that offense going, and it’s a fun sight to see. I think everybody feeds off of it.”
At 6-5, Denver is in the AFC’s final playoff spot in the current standings.
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The Broncos play the Las Vegas Raiders at 3:05 p.m. CST Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Denver defeated the Raiders 34-18 on Oct. 6 as Nix threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the “Ferris Bueller” game. Las Vegas has a 2-8 record after its 34-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
The Atlanta Falcons were painfully reminded of something that has been true for nearly 20 years. Sean Payton has partial ownership in the Atlanta Falcons. Maybe they hoped things changed since Payton was no longer leading the New Orleans Saints.
However, when the Falcons visited the Denver Broncos, Payton showed the new emblem on the hat doesn’t lessen his dominance over the Falcons. Payton improved his record to 22-9 against the Falcons with a dominating 38-6 victory.
Atlanta wasn’t the only team to get this reminder. Payton swept the NFC South this year and showed them why they all felt relieved by his temporary retirement. This included Payton’s first career victory over the Saints.
The games haven’t been too close either. The Carolina Panthers kept it the closest, and they lost by 14 points. At the end of that game, Payton flat out said Carolina isn’t a good team. Maybe that was the jolt Carolina needed because they haven’t lost a game since those comments.
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During his 16-year run with New Orleans, Payton had a winning record against every team in the division. As the coach of the Denver Broncos, he’s undefeated against his former division.
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