Ethics Commission's written opinion comes year after decision

The Nevada Ethics Commission issued a written opinion this week, almost a year after it gave a verbal order to fine four people for allegedly filing a false complaint.

The attorney for three of the defendants said the lengthy delay may be grounds for a judge to throw the case out.

"The law is pretty clear. They are supposed to have a written order out within three days," said Patrick Nohrden, the attorney for Brooks Compton, his mother, Shari Compton, and his former stepfather, Steve Smith.

The commission concluded the trio conspired with Shaughn Daily to file a false complaint against former Clark County Commissioner Paul Christensen.

Brooks Compton was challenging Christensen in the 1996 election, but lost in the primary, and Christensen lost in the general election. Daily was Compton's campaign coordinator.

Daily had filed at least two ethics complaints against Christensen before the one that got him into trouble.

The third complaint, a letter from "Helena Lockridge," accused Christensen of using his position as Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority chairman to get first-class trips for his wife and himself and for using a county phone number in his campaign literature.

The name on the complaint turned out to be fictitious. At a hearing last year, Daily told the panel that he had faxed it the letter without any prompting from the Comptons or Smith. The panel fined Daily $2,500.

Nohrden said his clients maintain their innocence. He added that he is seeking in District Court to have the ruling thrown out because he maintains the commission did not follow proper procedures in hearing evidence and because the written opinion was issued late.

Mary Boetsch, chairwoman of the Ethics Commission, said Thursday, "All that the written opinion does is memorialize the action we took last year. Paperwork moves slowly in this system."

Boetsch said last year she didn't believe the Comptons or Smith when they said they had nothing to do with the fictitious letter -- based on their demeanor and attitude when answering questions from commissioners.

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