Case Details

Year Initiated/Committed

2020

Year Resolved

2020

Settlement Amount

$650,000

Court

n/a

Docket Number

n/a

Lead State

CO

Participating States

Defendant(s)

M. A. Mortenson Company; Maja Rosenquist; Gene Hodge; David Kuntz; Sean Wennerstrom

Case Description

Colorado attorney general entered into Assurance of Discontinuance with general contractor M. A. Mortenson Company to resolve claims resulting from the attorney general’s investigation into an alleged bid-rigging scheme related to the City and County of Denver’s plans to upgrade and expand the Colorado Convention Center. The office’s investigation centered on whether Mortenson violated the Colorado Antitrust Act when it competed to become the general contractor of the convention center expansion project. The investigation uncovered strong evidence that employees from Mortenson and Trammell Crow, the City’s program manager, exchanged non-public and confidential information about the project and procurement process that was not shared with other prospective bidders. To resolve potential civil and criminal claims, Mortenson will pay $650,000 to the Colorado Department of Law and will donate construction services for a project in the state related to needs that have arisen from the COVID-19 public health emergency. The construction project will be for a value of no less than $650,000, and Mortenson will pay all of its own costs of service and construction costs, including building materials and costs of any subcontractor and design services contracted to complete the project. The State of Colorado, the Attorney General, or the City and County of Denver will not be responsible for any of these project costs. The settlement also requires Mortenson to establish a comprehensive, internal compliance program and disclose the existence of the agreement when it bids on any public construction projects in Colorado for a period of two years.