Colorado is cutting a $245,000 check to Tajuddin Ashaheed, a Muslim inmate who says a corrections officer forced him to shave his beard during intake at a Denver prison in July 2016. That turned out to be a very expensive shave for the state. The settlement ends a civil-rights lawsuit that accused the Colorado Department of Corrections of trampling his religious freedom and leaving him feeling humiliated and threatened, according to his attorneys. It closes a legal fight that wound through appeals and federal court rulings for years.
According to The Denver Post, lawyers said the state agreed in September to pay Ashaheed $245,000, with the deal finalized in mid-January and filed in court records. The settlement resolves claims that he was ordered to shave even though department policy allows beards worn for religious reasons.
As detailed in the 10th Circuit opinion, Ashaheed told intake staff he is Muslim and that shaving his beard would violate a core tenet of his faith. A sergeant allegedly said he did not want to hear about it and threatened him with solitary confinement if he refused, so Ashaheed ultimately submitted to having his beard shaved.
Ashaheed filed his federal lawsuit in 2017 and scored a major win in 2021 when an appeals panel concluded his allegations could show intentional discrimination, Colorado Politics reported. The case later survived another attempt to have it thrown out and was headed toward trial before the parties reached the settlement. The litigation drew support from public-interest lawyers, including the MacArthur Justice Center.
“This case highlights the importance of constitutional protections,” Ashaheed's attorney David Lane said in a news release, urging vigilance against civil-rights violations, his lawyers told reporters. A spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections did not immediately return a request for comment, The Denver Post reported.
Legal implications
The settlement resolves Ashaheed’s individual claims but does not disturb the 10th Circuit's earlier analysis that the alleged conduct could amount to a clear constitutional violation, so the appellate opinion remains on the books as persuasive authority. Legal commentators say the case fits into a recent run of rulings that press courts to scrutinize qualified immunity and prison policies involving religious exemptions, according to Law Week Colorado.
Civil-rights advocates say the payout should prod the department to improve intake training and make sure religious accommodations are actually honored. Attorneys who worked on the case say they hope the settlement spurs clearer guidance for correctional staff and stronger oversight at intake facilities.
