Aspen judge pares bitter war between equity firm chief and ex

(CN) — Two weeks before the scheduled start of a jury trial, a Colorado judge granted partial summary judgment to the chairman of an equity firm in a dispute with a former girlfriend who claims he assaulted and defamed her in Aspen, Colorado.

“A court may enter summary judgment ‘if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law,’” 9th Judicial District Judge Laura Makar wrote in a 26-page order published Tuesday evening.

Interior designer Hillary Thomas sued her ex-partner Jean-Pierre Conte in Pitkin County court in September 2023. She brought 11 claims including assault, battery, and extreme and outrageous conduct.

The following month, Conte countersued Thomas claiming defamation and slander, calling her portrayal of him “pure fiction” and “false.”

In addition to owning several properties in Aspen, Conte is the chairman of the San Francisco-based private equity firm Genstar Capital.

While granting Conte summary judgment on Thomas’ claims of negligent misrepresentation and tortious interference with a contract, Makar declined to grant summary judgment to Conte on Thomas’ breach of contract, business interference claims and promissory estoppel claims. This past June, Makar had granted Thomas’ request for summary judgment on Conte’s claim of extortion.

“This case is about an abusive man who believes his power and privilege make him above the law,” Thomas says in her original 18-page complaint.

During their relationship, Thomas said in her complaint that she applied her trade as an interior designer to increase the value of Conte’s properties while managing several of his development projects.

In her lawsuit, Thomas described Conte as her life partner of 10 years, during which she helped raise his four children alongside her two. In his counterclaim, however, Conte declined to call their family “blended."

The couple initially planned to separate in May 2021, but began to reconcile near Christmas that year, Thomas says in her complaint. Shortly after the New Year, however, she says that after a night of heavy drinking Conte assaulted her and left her “terrified for her life.”

She says Conte broke down the guestroom door before “beating her naked body, pinning her down as she begged for her life and slamming her against the wall.”

After her sister arrived to help her escape, Thomas says Conte “proceeded to engage in repeated threats and attempts to silence Ms. Thomas including by interfering with her business endeavors, engaging in financial coercion and defaming her to her friends.”

When she sought medical care for her injuries, Thomas says she learned that Conte had cut her off from his health insurance and refused to reimburse her costs as previously agreed.

In his 23-page counterclaim, Conte says he gave Thomas “considerably more than the cohabitation agreement requires, including gifts, jewelry and additional funds totaling multiple millions of dollars.”

Conte says that after the relationship ended in 2021, Thomas pursued litigation because he refused to purchase a $9 million home for her.

While Thomas claims Conte had been intoxicated and belligerent that night in January 2022, Conte says Thomas was the one who instigated the argument. In his complaint, Conte attributes Thomas’ injuries to slipping and falling on ice.

“There was absolutely no physical abuse or attack, as Ms. Thomas falsely alleges,” Conte says in his counterclaim.

The case was originally assigned to 9th Judicial District Judge Christopher Seldin, who denied Conte’s motion to dismiss. After Seldin’s retirement in 2024, the case went to Makar. Both judges were appointed by Democratic governors, Seldin by John Hickenlooper in 2015, and Makar by Jared Polis in 2024.

Thomas is represented by Aspen attorney Christopher Bryan of Garfield & Hecht as well as Christopher Clark of Clark Smith in New York.

Conte is represented by Richard Bednarski, of Taft Stettinius in Colorado Springs along with Patricia Glaser’s team from Glaser Weil in Los Angeles.

An attorney for Thomas declined to comment. Conte’s attorneys did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

A six-day jury trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 5. This week, the parties filed a motion informing the court of their most recent bid to resolve their differences through mediation.

Follow @bright_lamp