ReviewJournal.com - News - SUSPENDED DISTRICT JUDGE: Defamation suit to proceed

PRINT THIS Popular

Aug. 03, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SUSPENDED DISTRICT JUDGE: Defamation suit to proceed

Ruling favors Halverson's ex-secretary

By K.C. HOWARD
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Ilene Spoor and her lawyer, James Adams, listen as Robert Spretnak, a lawyer representing suspended District Judge Elizabeth Halverson, argues for the dismissal of Spoor's lawsuit against Halverson.
Photo by Gary Thompson.

Judge David Wall on Thursday denies a motion for dismissal of a lawsuit brought against Judge Elizabeth Halverson.

Elizabeth Halverson
Judge currently is on paid suspension

Suspended District Judge Elizabeth Halverson's former secretary should be allowed to proceed with her defamation lawsuit, one of Halverson's colleagues ruled Thursday.

District Judge David Wall denied Halverson's motion to dismiss Ileen Spoor's lawsuit. Wall found that Halverson's statements to the media that Spoor illegally fixed tickets may have been defamatory and may have cast Spoor in a false light.

Spoor filed the lawsuit in May, arguing that Halverson falsely launched the allegations to deflect attention from her own troubles in the public.

"She conducted her office in what can be described as a disgraceful manner and she needed to cover that up," said James Adams, Spoor's attorney.

Most Popular Stories

LANDLORD: AS TENANT, FLEISS FOR THE BIRDS

Experience Ending

NORM: Owner Jay-Z says 40/40 Club is fine

JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE COMMISSION: Panel suspends Halverson

1958 CRASH: DEATH IN DESERT AIR

CALICO BASIN: Tranquillity lost

NORM: 'Idol' contestant set to go country

NORM: Jackson in action possibly in Vegas

NORM: Cruise the object of a twin crush

NORM: Oprah to tape in LV with Tina, Cher

Halverson's lawyer argued that the case should be dismissed because Halverson was exercising her constitutional right of free speech when she told local media that staff members were conducting illegal activities.

"Judge Halverson has an absolute right to speak her opinion," her attorney, Robert Spretnak, said after the hearing.

In the courtroom, he had argued that a judge has immunity to speak about the law even outside the courthouse.

Wall, however, ruled that immunity, which provides judges with protection from recrimination for legal decisions, applies only within the courtroom.

Halverson, who was suspended by the Judicial Discipline Commission while that body investigates complaints regarding her competency and treatment of staff, was not in court Thursday. She has declined the Review-Journal's interview requests.

She fired Spoor on May 9 after she found a "Quick Fix" file containing traffic tickets from Spoor's friends and family. The judge also found e-mails sent by Spoor indicating that Spoor helped get people out of jury duty.

In May, Halverson launched allegations that Spoor was fixing tickets. She told the local media that she informed court administrators about the potential illegal behavior, and she publicly questioned why they had not punished Spoor for her actions.

Spoor now works as a roving judicial executive assistant and currently is assigned to the senior judge replacing Halverson while she is on paid suspension.

Spoor's ongoing employment with the court will make it difficult to prove that she suffered any damage as a result of Halverson's statements, Spretnak said.

Spoor has said she did nothing illegal. She simply passed traffic tickets along to attorneys who handled the tickets in traffic court, as a favor, she said.

The attorneys she worked with have said that they receive tickets from friends and colleagues all the time because they frequent the courthouse. The lawyers said they are able to obtain the same ticket reductions given to the anybody else who makes the effort to come to traffic court.

Court officials investigated Spoor's e-mails and concluded that she did not "fix" or have tickets eliminated from the system, Court Executive Officer Chuck Short said.

Spoor also has said that she helped people delay jury duty because of scheduling conflicts.

Spoor testified at the Judicial Discipline Commission's July 16 hearing regarding Halverson.

In their decision to suspend the judge, commissioners said there was no indication that Spoor acted illegally, but they noted: "Spoor's inappropriate use of county time to help friends and others locate counsel to assist them in traffic matters in limited jurisdiction courts was not the business of district court."

Short said he could not comment on any discipline Spoor might have received. "It's considered a personnel matter," he said.

Court documents published on the state's Supreme Court Web site detail allegations against the newly elected Halverson from her former staff, attorneys and other judges that she is incompetent to conduct criminal trials and mistreated her staff, including complaints that she fell asleep at the bench, called staff derogatory names and had her bailiff massage her feet.

Halverson is obese and suffers from osteoarthritis in her feet and knees, which makes it difficult for her to walk. She uses a scooter to get around.

In an affidavit Halverson filed with the court, she said the bailiff massaged her feet on his own accord. "I was shocked when he did so," she wrote in the June 25 document. "I told him in no uncertain terms that this was inappropriate. The bailiff said that he wanted to do so to help me."

Tickets from the "Quick Fix" file and e-mails that Halverson found at Spoor's desk also are included with the affidavit.

Notes from friends express gratitude to Spoor, and others ask how much they owe. One note from a friend states, "I owe you big time so give me a call and let me know what I can do for you."

In some of the e-mails, Spoor says she is growing increasingly frustrated with Halverson, and Spoor predicts Halverson's downfall.

Following an April hearing with three veteran judges at which Halverson's former staff complained about Halverson, Spoor wrote her former boss, Supreme Court Judge Michael Cherry, "If a reliable source would go to the media, she would end up being removed due to public outrage if nothing else."

Links powered by inform.com

Leave Your Comment	10 Reader Comments
Terms & Conditions The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor. Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: T. Finderman wrote on August 03, 2007 09:01 PM: Could it be that Judge Halverson validates herself by tearing down and demeaning others and that's why she's in trouble? Is it possible that the Halverson PR machine is again trying to get on TV all the time and posting comments so they can deflect all this negative publicity? Why do they refuse to talk to the RJ? Is it because they know that she will open her mouth and stick her foot in it? Enough questions. Remove this judge. Now. CA wrote on August 03, 2007 05:22 PM: I SWEAR SOME PEOPLE ARE SO DUMB FAITH AND LA RAZA YOU TWO ARE THE DUMBEST... PA wrote on August 03, 2007 05:18 PM: WHAT A LODE OF BULL FROM FAITH AND LA RAZA CA wrote on August 03, 2007 05:16 PM: FAITH AND LA RAZA YOU MUST BE VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH THE JUDGE TO WRITE All this crap T Mayeda wrote on August 03, 2007 02:30 PM: There shoud be a law where they cant fix or have ticket elemenated or get off jury duty.Whats wrong with the peoples in this country,that we have in office?I think Spoor shoud be punished and fired from her job. T mayeda Rob wrote on August 03, 2007 10:46 AM: What do the issues of other judges have to do with this case? What does the employment of Moss's husband or the failed recall of Saitta have to do with Halverson? La Raza wrote on August 03, 2007 09:02 AM: Judge halverson was elected by the people. She is the people's judge. Now the powers to be at the court house and the corrupt officals in county government want her out. Look at the previous post, it is all true! Look who is accusing her! The truth will come out at the hearing! Viva La Raza! faith wrote on August 03, 2007 08:47 AM: Could it be that Judge Halverson is being railroaded because she will not join in with antics that go on behind the scenes at the court house. The RJ jumped right on the bandwagon. I did not see the RJ mention that Judge Valerie Vega's husband works for the RJ. Of course he as a different last name than the Judge. Right Howard? Also, the public needs to see all the complaints filed against Nancy Saitta. The RJ did not cover the recall effort against Nancy Saitta and Cheryl Moss. The RJ supported Saitta for her Supreme Court run. If the RJ would have reprinted their own stories about Saitta and her husband she would not be on the Supreme Court. The public should do an internet search "Nancy Saitta". Cheryl Moss was the Judge that handled the Cyber Wells case. A child died but no one removed Moss. Search "Cheryl Moss". Cheryl Moss terminated a soldiers parental rights because he was not in court even though the good judge was aware he was on active duty, oversees, fighting for this country. One would hope that the public sees through the spin that the powers to be at the court house have spun against Judge Halvererson. I am amazed at how many make fun of the Judges disabilities. Shame on you. Patrice wrote on August 03, 2007 08:20 AM: How did we ever elect her? What a snowball job she did on the constituents .... Those who voted in her favor have been duped. She should be re-called and / or fired - we (the taxpayers) should not have to foot her bill in the form of a paycheck for sitting at home in her scooter. Lori G. wrote on August 03, 2007 07:27 AM: No one really cares about Spoor's favors. Some people just get mad that they don't have any friends in a position to help them with traffic tickets. What we want to know is this...When will they quit paying that obese, incompetent, mentally unstable (freight)trainwreck to continue to NOT perform any work?? Also, most of us would be hard pressed to believe ANYONE, other than a podiatrist, would willingly massage those overgrown sausages! That man is probably going to require counseling Speed up the process and get her off the bench permanently!