Woman files lawsuit in alleged courtroom cover-up after incredible footage unearthed
Back in August 2011, Monica Contreras attended a scheduled hearing at Clark County Family Court in Nevada along with her 2-year-old daughter. As she was leaving, family court marshal Ron Fox ordered her into a waiting room for an unexplained drug search. What followed has led to a massive alleged cover-up investigation which has resulted in the firing of Fox, Fox’s supervisor stepping down and now a federal lawsuit.
KLAS-TV out of Las Vegas broke this story wide open when they uncovered the courtroom video from that fateful day. During the supposed drug search, Contreras stated that Fox touched her buttocks, breast, and ordered her to lift up her shirt.
In the following clip, Fox can be seen ordering another marshal to arrest Contreras as she pleads to hearing master Patricia Donninger. “I think I’d rather have a female in here and he went anyway. I was just offended by it. I’m just offended that he asked me,” she said. Donninger seems completely unfazed by the accusations as she all but ignores the desperate pleas while continuing to play with Contreras’ daughter, whom she had been watching while Fox performed his alleged search.
In a follow up, reporter Nathan Baca notes that Donninger is not an elected judge but is an employee of the Clark County Family Courts.
The reason for arresting her provided by Fox at the time was, “false allegations made against a police officer.” Research via KLAS determined there was no such law supporting the arrest.
As Contreras continued to argue her position to the disinterested hearing master the marshals repeatedly tried to have her recant her story. Eventually she appears to give in as she says, “Let me go. It was all lies. I don’t want to deal with anything. It was all lies. All lies. All lies. All lies. Please stop.” Not satisfied with this, Fox informs her that the only way she can avoid going to jail is to make her recanted statement into the court microphone. Contreras steps up as requested but returns to her initial argument as she states, “You put me in a room. You asked me to lift up my shirt without a witness.”
After kissing her daughter, who told the marshal putting her mother in handcuffs, “Sir, don’t take my momma,” Contreras was sent to jail while her daughter was sent to Child Haven.
Two months later Contreras filed a complaint with Court Marshal Internal Affairs. After a 6 month investigation, Fox was fired but Contreras was not notified of their findings that validated her complaint. She found out via KLAS.
Fox has maintained his innocence and has since filed a wrongful termination suit against his former employer. His attorney claims the marshal’s arrest was legal because nobody in the courtroom tried to stop him.
Monica Contreras has filed a federal lawsuit this month against Clark County, the state of Nevada, the Clark County courts, two marshals and hearing master Patricia Donninger.
