Estate of late former prosecutor drops lawsuit against Clark County district attorney

The estate of the former prosecutor who had a romantic relationship with suspended Family Court Judge Steven Jones is dropping a federal lawsuit seeking to clear her name.

Lisa Willardson sued the Clark County district attorney’s office and former District Attorney David Roger last year in the middle of the controversy over her relationship with the embattled judge.

Willardson, 45, was found dead at her Henderson home Dec. 26, and the coroner later concluded she died of an accidental drug overdose.

Earlier this year, a federal magistrate judge allowed the estate to take Willardson’s place as the plaintiff in the suit.

But Gary Modafferi, one of Willardson’s former lawyers, said Wednesday the suit is being dropped because it is difficult to prove without Willardson as a witness.

In the suit, Willardson denied she and Jones had a relationship while she appeared before him as a deputy district attorney.

The suit alleged the district attorney’s office spread “false statements” to the news media about the relationship that slandered and defamed her and violated her civil rights.

Willardson also was denied the opportunity for a “name clearing hearing” by the district attorney’s office, the suit said.

Roger, who fired Willardson in December 2011 after her relationship with Jones had become public, said Wednesday the decision to drop the suit was the right thing to do.

“This case had no factual and legal basis and would have been dismissed at some point in the litigation,” Roger said.

In February, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline suspended Jones without pay for three months, finding that he had violated professional rules of conduct in his handling of the romantic affair.

The commission found that Jones improperly maintained the relationship while Willardson litigated child welfare cases before him and did not disqualify himself from the cases. He issued a ruling in her favor in December 2011, long after they had begun to date.

Jones also interfered with Roger’s decision to remove Willardson from a child welfare unit that prosecuted cases in the judge’s courtroom, the commission found.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Find him on Twitter: @JGermanRJ.