Court rejects inmate’s damages bid
CARSON CITY -- A government entity's decision made in an illegal closed-door meeting can be erased under Nevada law, but the violation doesn't mean someone can sue for damages, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The high court, in ruling against a convicted sex offender who wanted to sue for damages on grounds a prison panel violated the law in evaluating him in private, decided there's no provision in state law for such damages.
The ruling against Robert Stockmeier, an inmate at the Lovelock State Prison, supports a decision by District Court Judge Richard Wagner of Lovelock.
Stockmeier went before a prison "psych panel" in 2002 trying to be certified that he wasn't a high risk to commit more sex crimes.
After he was denied, Stockmeier alleged an open meeting law violation by the panel.
