Prosecutor Claims Someone’s Defaming Her

LAS VEGAS (CN) - Clark County's chief deputy district attorney sued a John Doe who used the name "Lawyer" to post online comments to several (nonparty) Las Vegas Review-Journal news stories, accusing her of having sex to get promoted."

Mary Brown and her husband, who say they are not public figures, sued John Doe 1, and other Does and Roes, in Clark County Court.

Though Brown says that all the allegedly defamatory statements were posted as comments to Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ) articles, the newspaper is not a party to the case.

Brown says that the defamatory poster signs his comments, "Lawyer."

She claims that Doe/Lawyer appended to the LVRJ Dec. 14, 2011 story headlined, "Family Judge's Courting Stirs Rift," a defamatory comment "stating that Mary Brown, a chief deputy district attorney with the Clark County District Attorney's Office, had sexual relations in order to get promoted at the Clark County District Attorney's Office. That statement was false." (The quote is from the complaint, which summarizes the posting.)

Two days later, Brown says, "Lawyer" repeated the defamatory statement, in a posting attached to the story "Feud Puts Court Cases on Hold."

She says he did it again on a Jan. 4 story, "Second Romance Cover-Up Alleged," and again on a Jan. 23 a story, "Family Court Judge Removed from Child Welfare Case."

The stories center around an alleged relationship between a Family Court judge and a female prosecutor.

Doe/Lawyer's statements "affect the plaintiff's business reputation by communicating to the public that Mary Brown attained her position as Chief Deputy District Attorney with the Clark County District Attorneys Office by means of sexual acts," the complaint states.

The Browns say the statements caused them to be "shunned in their community and in the larger business and legal community in which they operate."

They seek damages for defamation and negligence.

The Browns are represented by Gregory Denue.

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