Family adds Justice of the Peace Sullivan to wrongful death lawsuit

The family of the late Las Vegas Justice Court Marshal Louis “Ziggy” Reale has added his boss, Justice of the Peace Diana Sullivan, and two of her staff members to a federal wrongful death lawsuit.

The suit, which was filed late last week, alleges Reale hanged himself March 21 in the garage of his Las Vegas home as a result of a hostile work environment created by supervisors and union leaders during a bitter labor organizing drive.

Reale was the victim of threats and coercion during the two-year campaign to organize marshals in Justice Court, District Court and Family Court, according to attorney Sigal Chattah, who is representing his wife Debra and their two children.

The campaign led to a “systematic abuse” of Reale’s civil rights, the suit alleges.

Sullivan, her executive assistant Jennifer Clark and court clerk Stephanie Westbay were added as defendants in an amended version of the suit late Thursday.

The suit claims Clark and Westbay “continuously harassed and berated” Reale amid the labor strife and Sullivan did nothing to eliminate the hostile environment.

Sullivan could not be reached for comment. Chief Justice of the Peace Karen Bennett said she did not want to comment because Justice Court, which also is a defendant in the suit, hasn’t been served with a copy.

Other defendants named last week included, Reale’s supervisor Timothy Shea, the Clark County Deputy Marshals Association and former Marshal Karl Beavers, who was the vice president of the union.

The amended complaint alleges the union also violated federal labor laws during the bitter organizing drive.

Anthony Vogel, president of the 70-member Deputy Marshals Association, said last week that Reale’s death was not the result of any union activity.

“His death is unfortunate, and our heart goes out to the family,” he said. “The association is fighting for more protection and the rights of the marshals and hasn’t engaged in any strong-arm tactics.”

There are about 120 marshals working in Justice Court and District Court at the Regional Justice Center and in Family Court at 601 N. Pecos Road.

Reale’s family is seeking damages and a permanent injunction to eliminate the “unlawful employment practices” that led to his death.

The accusations in the lawsuit come in the middle of an FBI investigation into allegations of excessive force and other misconduct by marshals at Family Court.

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