RJ opposes secrecy in lawsuit over death of attorney Susan Winters

The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday sought to intervene in the civil case stemming from the mysterious 2015 death of attorney Susan Winters.

Review-Journal lawyer Maggie McLetchie said in court papers that the newspaper wants to voice objections to judicial orders barring lawyers from publicly discussing the case and disclosing key evidence.

“The case is one the public is interested in, and the media is being shut out in a number of disturbing ways,” McLetchie explained in an interview. “Most problematic is the blanket gag order that bars the parties and their attorneys from discussing the case.

“The law mandates that court proceedings be as transparent as possible and we hope the gag order is lifted and that the Review-Journal’s reporters can do their job.”

The public’s right to information about the case also has been thwarted by a broad protective order, inappropriate sealing of documents and limitations on the media’s ability to cover court proceedings electronically, McLetchie wrote in her papers.

District Judge Linda Bell, who is presiding over the case, is expected to take up the Review-Journal’s request at a Dec. 7 hearing.

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 media coverage, primarily reports in the Review-Journal.

Schonfeld criticized lawyers for the Winters family in court for providing information to the media that they believe implicates Dennis in his wife’s Jan. 3, 2015, death.

In court papers, Schonfeld later sought to remove the Winters’ lawyers from the case because of alleged professional misconduct in what he called a “media campaign” to smear Dennis. Lead Winters family lawyer Anthony Sgro has yet to respond in writing to the claims.

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 lawsuit filed by Sgro cast suspicion on Dennis in his wife’s 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 Sgro and his law partner, former District Attorney David Roger, to delve into Dennis’ role in their daughter’s death.

Roger prepared a 49-page report with the help of retired FBI agent James Perry that outlines Dennis’ motives to kill his wife. The report, which was reviewed by the Review-Journal, was given to the district attorney’s office and the Henderson Police Department, which reopened its investigation.

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.