By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-31 18:37:04 | Updated at 2026-08-10 14:45:10
1 week ago
A top Colorado employment lawyer has been suspended after he repeatedly lied about being hospitalized in order to get time off.
Colin Barnacle, 50, will surrender his license for four months after reaching an agreement with the state's Attorney Regulation Counsel, BusinessDen reported.
Barnacle, a partner at Greenspoon Marder, was representing Jake Pasternack, a co-founder of a cannabis company, who was sued by his fellow co-founders.
The matter was before the Denver District Court and another case in Routt County between 2023 and 2024 when Barnacle was found to have lied to the court.
According to the outlet, Barnacle, who lives in a $1.4 million home, asked to reschedule a hearing because he had spent the weekend in the hospital.
The judge overseeing the case agreed and handed down an order which said that Barnacle was 'hospitalized and unable to appear.'
Despite his claims, Barnacle never actually went to hospital. A similar incident arose two weeks later when he told opposing counsel he was headed for surgery.
Colin Barnacle, 50, will surrender his license for four months after reaching an agreement with the state's Attorney Regulation Counsel
Barnacle was reprimanded by the state's Attorney Regulation Counsel, an independent office of the Colorado Supreme Court, which is seen here in a 2023 file photo
He said: 'I'm likely headed to another surgery at the end of the next week or the week after,' which caused a trial to be moved. No surgery was undertaken, it was found.
In March of 2024, Barnacle again told judges that he had undergone surgery in January.
Opposing counsel in the Routt County case then asked the judge to sanction him and Pasternack for ignoring discovery orders.
Judge Michael O'Hara slapped the pair with a $43,000 fine payable to the opposing parties, which according to the outlet Barnacle paid up himself.
He then withdrew as Pasternack's lawyer not long after that and told the Routt County judge that he had not been hospitalized or undergone surgery.
Despite the admission, he continued to lie to the court. In August 2024, in an unrelated federal case, he asked to appear via phone rather than in person.
He told the clerk that he had a 'medical emergency' to do with his back, and was 'just getting back from the hospital,' but he never visited a hospital, it was found.
The stipulation seen by the outlet said: '(Barnacle) violated his duties to clients, and to the legal profession and the court by acting dishonestly.'
A disciplinary judge sought to suspend him for four months and has also put him on probation for three years
Barnacle lives inside a $1.4 million home in Colorado, pictured here
It added that Barnacle 'caused injury to his clients by delaying their legal proceedings'.
After that, a disciplinary judge sought to suspend him for four months and has also put him on probation for three years. The suspension will start as of August 13.
When approached by the Daily Mail, Barnacle's attorney declined to comment on the suspension.
