Gag order lifted in court case involving death of attorney Susan Winters

Las Vegas Review-Journal lawyer Maggie McLetchie says she was pleased to learn that a gag order has been lifted in the civil case stemming from the 2015 death of attorney Susan Winters.

But in a move seeking more transparency in the case, McLetchie filed court papers Monday asking that future orders restricting lawyers from talking to the media be done on the public record and not behind closed doors.

She also asked District Judge Linda Bell, who issued the gag order, to let the Review-Journal be heard if future orders are contemplated.

Bell is holding a hearing in the case on Wednesday, and the subject of the Review-Journal’s intervention is expected to be discussed.

Other matters, including halting the case pending the outcome of a criminal investigation into Winters’ January 2015 death, also will be heard.

Bell barred lawyers from publicly discussing the case last month after Richard Schonfeld, an attorney for Winters’ husband, longtime Boulder City psychologist Gregory “Brent” Dennis, complained about what he called a media smear campaign against his client.

Schonfeld criticized lawyers for the Winters family in court for providing information to the Review-Journal that they believe implicates Dennis in his wife’s death.

On Monday, Schonfeld filed court papers opposing the Review-Journal’s intervention, arguing that the newspaper does not have the right to weigh in and did not file a timely request.

The Clark County coroner’s office concluded that Winters, 48, killed herself by consuming a lethal combination of prescription painkillers and antifreeze at the Henderson home she shared with her husband and their two daughters.

But the civil case filed by Winters’ family blames Dennis for her demise.

A Sept. 15 Review-Journal story, based in part on sworn depositions of Dennis and other witnesses in the case, raised questions about whether Winters killed herself.

It disclosed that Dennis was informed by the Clark County district attorney’s office that he is a target of a grand jury investigation into his wife’s death. Witnesses have not yet been called to the grand jury.

The criminal investigation is the result of efforts by Avis and Danny Winters, who refused to believe that their daughter took her own life. The wealthy Oklahoma couple hired attorney Anthony Sgro and his law partner, former District Attorney David Roger, to delve into Dennis’ role in their daughter’s death.

Dennis has denied killing his wife and has pointed to her suicidal tendencies in his sworn deposition.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter.