Judge will weigh civil penalty against Clark County in Review-Journal records lawsuit

District Judge Bita Yeager will weigh a Las Vegas Review-Journal request to find that Clark County willfully violated the Nevada Public Records Act. If she rules in favor of the news organization, it may be the first such finding against a governmental entity in the state, according to Review-Journal Chief Legal Officer Ben Lipman. A ruling of willful violation would require the judge to order a civil penalty against the county. Attorneys have until Dec. 7 to submit briefing before Yeager makes her decision.

The case stems from reporting that examined how Rock Solid Project Solutions, a firm owned by Raquel Floyd, received a portion of a $10 million contract to manage the 215 and Summerlin Parkway construction project. Raquel Floyd is the wife of Jimmy Floyd, the former head of the county's construction management division. Yeager previously found the county violated the law by refusing to turn over records related to Jimmy Floyd's firing.

During a hearing Monday, Review-Journal attorney Colleen McCarty said the county withheld the names of contract evaluators, failed to timely and properly respond to requests, failed to search for records, and failed to identify what records were being withheld. County attorney Elliot Anderson countered that the county communicated extensively with the news organization and acted in "good faith."

Lipman testified that the Review-Journal was investigating potential public corruption. He said County Counsel Lisa Logsdon claimed some information could be withheld due to personnel issues. During an October 2025 call, Logsdon indicated she had not investigated which records existed. Lipman said his reaction was "shock," and that he asked her, "Are you telling me you haven't even looked for what records are out there?" Logsdon agreed to provide a list of withheld records but repeatedly extended deadlines and eventually became nonresponsive, Lipman said.

Logsdon testified she remembered the call differently, stating she did not know if Lipman asked if she had reviewed the records, but rather if she had gathered them. "So I am not the gatherer of the records of the county," she said. She did not provide clear answers about whether she had examined the documents at issue by the time of the call. The county previously tried and failed to delay the hearing but won a pause from the Nevada Supreme Court on the disclosure of some information.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal