A Steamboat Springs man tried to challenge a Colorado law that allowed regulators to restrict competition between shuttle services, but he lost in the first round.

Abdallah Batayneh sued the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in March, arguing that the commission had rejected his permit application to initiate a new shuttle service to Strawberry Park Hot Springs outside Steamboat, which relied on an unconstitutional law. Protect two existing shuttle suppliers. On Monday, Denver District Court Judge Marie Avery Moses dismissed his lawsuit and ruled that his legal claims against the statute were insufficient.

Batayneh said he plans to appeal the ruling in a press release issued this week by the Arlington, Virginia-based Judicial Research Institute, a liberal public interest law firm representing him.

"I think this decision is wrong. I think I should spend a day in court," Batayneh said. The committee found that he was capable of starting and operating a new shuttle service before rejecting his application.

Other Colorado courts support laws that stipulate the "monopoly rules" that the committee follows. The rules allow the committee to restrict competition in the public operator market, with the purpose of ensuring that companies provide quality services without becoming so weak as to become unprofitable due to competition.

But Bateni's lawyer argued that the law allowed excessive interference in the market and violated his due process rights. His lawsuit argued that the law effectively gave his potential competitors the right to veto his license application.

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