Nicholas Del Vecchio Judge's bid for Supreme Court seat came up short in primary

Family Court Judge Nicholas Del Vecchio is the subject of a sexual harassment complaint filed with Clark County officials regarding his alleged treatment of a former female employee, according to a source familiar with the complaint.

"The nature of the allegation is that there was an inappropriate comment made toward an employee -- an inappropriate advance," said the source, who spoke to the Review-Journal only on the condition of anonymity.

The complaint was filed with the county's Office of Diversity by a woman who used to work for Del Vecchio in his courtroom.

The woman also used to have family ties to the sitting judge, the source confirmed.

The findings of the Office of Diversity were not known Friday.

When asked to comment on the complaint Friday, Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa said: "Complaints against employees are treated as confidential, per state law. However, we would refer complaints against judges to either District Court or the Judicial Ethics Commission."

Del Vecchio did not respond to a request for comment, but he has denied any wrongdoing as part of the inquiry, according to the source.

The source confirmed that the woman who lodged the complaint, and whom the source would not name, has been reassigned to a different position with the county since the complaint was filed.

Las Vegas police and District Attorney David Roger said this week that they have received no reports or complaints on the allegations, and that there was no criminal inquiry regarding the matter.

A slew of judges and other county officials refused to comment on the complaint.

The Review-Journal filed a records request with the county Friday, seeking any and all documents stemming from the complaint.

District Court Administrator Chuck Short also declined comment on the matter. David Sarnowski, executive director of the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, said he could not confirm or deny whether any complaint had been filed with the commission.

Del Vecchio was a candidate for the Nevada Supreme Court Seat G, but he received only 13 percent of the vote in the September primary and did not advance to the general election.

Earlier this year, the Review-Journal reported how Del Vecchio once was considering offering his bailiff's job to the girlfriend of former presiding Family Court Judge Steven Jones.

Amy McNair, a part-time legal secretary, was under consideration for the job, according to her attorney, Randall Roske. But after Jones was arrested on a charge of battering the woman, the job offer to McNair was rescinded.

Jones since has resigned as presiding judge but remains on the bench. He has denied battering McNair.