A second former aide to state Rep. Sheila Lieder has filed a lawsuit against the Littleton Democrat to allege that she made him do work for her Senate campaign in violation of state campaign finance law.
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The new lawsuit, filed by Nick Buttrey in Denver District Court on Tuesday, claims that Lieder made Buttrey perform duties as her campaign manager during hours he was working as a taxpayer-funded legislative aide, which the lawsuit says is “not merely unethical but also illegal” under Colorado’s Fair Campaign Practices Act. The lawsuit also names the state of Colorado, acting through the state House.
Lieder did not provide comment when reached on Tuesday, citing the need for legal counsel.
Lieder was first elected to the state House in 2022 and reelected in 2024. She is running for the state Senate in the Nov. 3 election against Republican Rich Mancuso in District 20. Lieder was sued in August by another former aide who made similar campaign-work allegations.
Buttrey’s lawsuit says he began as a senior legislative aide for Lieder in December 2024 and last year was also made Lieder’s campaign manager. The lawsuit claims Buttrey was not adequately paid by Lieder for a year and half of campaign work, despite an understanding between both of them that it would be a paid position.
The lawsuit also alleges that Lieder “repeatedly demanded” that Buttrey perform work for her campaign during hours he was working as her legislative aide. State law bars state resources, including staff time, from being used for political campaigns. The lawsuit also argues Lieder’s actions amount to “a grave and illegal misuse of public resources for a private campaign’s benefit, at taxpayer expense.”
In May, Buttrey pushed back, telling Lieder in writing that it was unethical for her to request that he do campaign work for an upcoming Democratic fundraiser during hours he was working as an aide, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit says Lieder responded by saying she believed Buttrey was on his lunch break when she asked him to do that campaign work.
The lawsuit goes on to say that Buttrey reported the incident to legislative staff and resigned as her campaign manager in May. The lawsuit claims Lieder retaliated with a “barrage of unwarranted criticism” toward Buttrey, whom she fired as her aide in June, citing performance issues. The lawsuit claims Buttrey regularly received praise from Lieder for his work.
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Buttrey, in a statement, said he brought the lawsuit “because elected officials shouldn’t be able to use their staff’s paid time for their own campaigns, and they shouldn’t be able to fire someone for saying so.”
This is the second lawsuit against Lieder from one of her former aides in as many months.
In the August lawsuit, Jennifer Chick, who said she worked for Lieder from December 2022 to August 2024, sued the lawmaker for allegedly misleading her into doing campaign work, among other issues.
The lawsuits continue a string of allegations by legislative aides about mistreatment by state lawmakers over the past year.
State Rep. Regina English, a Colorado Springs Democrat who is running for reelection this year, was accused of retaliation and ignoring a sexual harassment complaint lodged against one of English’s relatives by an aide. Former state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, resigned in February 2025 amid an ethics investigation into allegations that she tried to withhold pay from a staffer and required her aides to do housework.
Jaquez Lewis was convicted of several felonies for forging letters of support during the investigation.
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