Ann C. Purvis is senior counsel in the Denver office of GRSM and a member of the Employment Law Practice Group. Ann focuses her practice on representing employers in a variety of industries, in all phases of litigation and on appeal in state and federal court. She also advises clients to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.

As a certified mediator, Ann facilitates resolution of both employment law and business law matters.

Prior to joining GRSM, Ann practiced at a Denver-based law firm in the areas of Employment Litigation, Employment Law Counseling, and Appeals. Ann previously clerked for the Honorable Herbert L. Stern III (ret.) of the Denver District Court.

Admissions

• Colorado
• U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Memberships

• Roster of Private Professional Mediators, U.S. District Court of Colorado
• Colorado General Counsel Group (CGCG), Outside Counsel Member
• Doyle Inn of Court
• American Bar Association
• Colorado Bar Association

Community Involvement

• Volunteer Judge in D.U. Law’s Jessup International Law Moot Court
• CHAMP Camp Volunteer

• Ann obtained simultaneous summary judgment and judgment on the pleadings on behalf of a non-profit organization. The Plaintiff had alleged race discrimination in federal court. Ann then successfully defended the organization in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court of the United States denied certiorari in 2024.

• Ann represented an airline in a federal lawsuit brought by a former pilot.  The plaintiff asserted eight claims, including age and disability discrimination, retaliation, interference with benefits in violation of ERISA, breach of contract, negligence, fraud, and civil conspiracy.  Plaintiff agreed to dismiss a small part of his case, and Ann then obtained summary judgment on the remaining six claims.

• Ann prevailed in a seven-day jury trial in federal court on behalf of a pension fund. The plaintiff had brought twenty claims under various anti-discrimination and civil rights laws against the pension fund and two co-defendants. Prior to trial, Ann obtained summary judgment on nineteen of the twenty claims, exonerating two of her three clients. The single claim remaining at trial was against the pension fund under the Equal Pay Act.

• Ann represented the employer in seminal medical marijuana case, Coats v. DISH Network L.L.C. The plaintiff, who had been fired for testing positive for marijuana, claimed that his termination violated Colorado’s lawful off-duty activities statute. Ann succeeded on a motion to dismiss in the trial court and obtained an affirmance by the Colorado Court of Appeals. Ann then drafted the employer’s Answer Brief before the Colorado Supreme Court. In a landmark 6-0 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court found for the employer.

• In parallel cases brought by two former employees, Ann defended a Fortune 500 company from claims of sex discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and retaliation. Ann obtained summary judgment as to some claims, and prevailed on all remaining claims in two arbitrations spanning several weeks.

• As counsel for a publicly-traded telecommunications company, Ann successfully defended claims brought by a former employee for breach of contract and promissory estoppel. The Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment, and the Colorado Supreme Court denied certiorari.

• In a breach of contract case, Ann defended a nutrition company and filed counterclaims against the opposing party. Ann not only obtained summary judgment, but also secured an award for monetary damages in favor of her client.