UPDATE: Federal Lawsuit Over Colorado Unemployment Failures Nearing Ruling

Hi Denver,

Two months ago, I shared that I had filed a federal lawsuit (Abrams v. Colorado Division of Unemployment Insurance, Case No. 1:24-cv-03390-RMR) to challenge the unconstitutional delays, "integrity holds," and systemic communication failures in Colorado’s unemployment system. That post is here:
🔗 https://www.reddit.com/r/Denver/comments/1jez186/colorado_unemployment_integrity_holds/

Since then, the case has escalated. I’ve filed two emergency injunctions demanding immediate reform—and the court is expected to rule in the next 1 to 2 weeks. This is a critical moment. Media attention, public awareness, and community pressure could tip the scales and finally bring accountability and change to a system that has failed so many.

Here’s what the lawsuit reveals:

1. Only 60 phone reps are employed to serve hundreds of thousands of claimants.
2. There’s no ADA-compliant way to request disability accommodations—despite federal law requiring it.
3. The integrity hold system flags countless users unfairly and transfers sensitive data to third-party contractors (including Google and ID.me) in ways that raise major privacy and security concerns.
4. Even state senators have expressed alarm at the millions spent annually on these third-party vendors during recent public budget hearings.
5. The State is pretending this only affects me personally, refusing to even acknowledge the thousands of similar complaints online and in public forums.
6. The Court has not yet allowed me to submit Reddit or social media testimony from other affected Coloradans—but you can still speak up and be heard here.

This case isn’t just about me. It’s about thousands of Coloradans still waiting for their benefits, still stuck in broken processes, still facing eviction, hunger, and hopelessness.

If you’re someone who’s been affected—or if you care about justice and government accountability—now is the time to speak up, share your story, alert the press, and bring attention to this crisis.

Together, we can hold this system accountable.

–
Joshua Abrams
Plaintiff, Pro Se
TrueJust.org – Learn more, get involved.