The entrance to the Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley. (BusinessDen file photo)
Five weeks before jurors were to hear about a lifetime member who was kicked out of the posh Columbine Country Club, the club reinstated the man and ended his case.
James Battaglia, 55, sued the club near Littleton last summer. His father, Samuel Battaglia, a former University of Denver professor, was a longtime member and CCC president who left a so-called “permanent life membership” to his son when he died in 2017.
James Battaglia, a stay-at-home parent, “grew up at CCC and has spent most of his life on CCC grounds,” last year’s lawsuit explained. As a permanent life member, he had “rights and privileges superior to that of the other membership classes,” according to that lawsuit.
Battaglia claimed that although life members generally don’t have to pay dues, he received a $6,000 assessment bill in 2017. Due in part to clerical errors, he didn’t pay it on time. So, while having $1.4 million in his trust fund, he was removed for nonpayment of $782.
Battaglia claimed that his expulsion fit into a pattern of “heavy-handed treatment” of permanent life members at CCC and led to “mental anguish, distress, anxiety and depression.” His lawsuit sought reinstatement, access to club records, and monetary compensation.
A five-day trial was scheduled to start Sept. 25. Then an agreement was reached Aug. 17.
“James Battaglia resolved his case against Columbine Country Club through a voluntary settlement,” said his attorney, Benjamin Volpe with Volpe Law in Parker.
“Columbine Country Club has agreed to reinstate Mr. Battaglia’s permanent life membership with the club as part of the agreement. Mr. Battaglia is satisfied with the outcome and looks forward to enjoying the club’s amenities during the rest of his life,” he said.
Volpe said his client did not pay money to CCC as part of their settlement. The terms of the settlement are not public. Lawyers for the club, Franz Hardy and William Dewey with the Denver office of the national firm Gordon Rees, did not answer requests for comment.
Battaglia’s case was the second of two against CCC in recent years. Last year, the club was ordered to turn over disciplinary records and pay $34,284 in attorney fees to Henry and Kristina Adams, members it had removed following accusations of vulgar behavior.
An Arapahoe County judge determined that the CCC had “ambushed” the married couple with 2-year-old allegations and “effectively rigged” its disciplinary process because it “was on a mission to rid the CCC of” the Adamses.” The CCC paid them early this year.
The entrance to the Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley. (BusinessDen file photo)
Five weeks before jurors were to hear about a lifetime member who was kicked out of the posh Columbine Country Club, the club reinstated the man and ended his case.
James Battaglia, 55, sued the club near Littleton last summer. His father, Samuel Battaglia, a former University of Denver professor, was a longtime member and CCC president who left a so-called “permanent life membership” to his son when he died in 2017.
James Battaglia, a stay-at-home parent, “grew up at CCC and has spent most of his life on CCC grounds,” last year’s lawsuit explained. As a permanent life member, he had “rights and privileges superior to that of the other membership classes,” according to that lawsuit.
Battaglia claimed that although life members generally don’t have to pay dues, he received a $6,000 assessment bill in 2017. Due in part to clerical errors, he didn’t pay it on time. So, while having $1.4 million in his trust fund, he was removed for nonpayment of $782.
Battaglia claimed that his expulsion fit into a pattern of “heavy-handed treatment” of permanent life members at CCC and led to “mental anguish, distress, anxiety and depression.” His lawsuit sought reinstatement, access to club records, and monetary compensation.
A five-day trial was scheduled to start Sept. 25. Then an agreement was reached Aug. 17.
“James Battaglia resolved his case against Columbine Country Club through a voluntary settlement,” said his attorney, Benjamin Volpe with Volpe Law in Parker.
“Columbine Country Club has agreed to reinstate Mr. Battaglia’s permanent life membership with the club as part of the agreement. Mr. Battaglia is satisfied with the outcome and looks forward to enjoying the club’s amenities during the rest of his life,” he said.
Volpe said his client did not pay money to CCC as part of their settlement. The terms of the settlement are not public. Lawyers for the club, Franz Hardy and William Dewey with the Denver office of the national firm Gordon Rees, did not answer requests for comment.
Battaglia’s case was the second of two against CCC in recent years. Last year, the club was ordered to turn over disciplinary records and pay $34,284 in attorney fees to Henry and Kristina Adams, members it had removed following accusations of vulgar behavior.
An Arapahoe County judge determined that the CCC had “ambushed” the married couple with 2-year-old allegations and “effectively rigged” its disciplinary process because it “was on a mission to rid the CCC of” the Adamses.” The CCC paid them early this year.
