Attorneys on behalf of Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve filed a complaint after a tracking device was installed by a private detective, and found on Schieve’s vehicle. The complaint sought to identify who hired the investigator and demanded compensation for invasion of privacy, trespass, and civil conspiracy.
The charge was made against 5 Alpha Industries and private investigator David McNeely on Thursday in Washoe County’s Second Judicial District Court. The lawsuit claimed that McNeely and 5 Alpha Industries entered Schieve’s premises illegally to install a sophisticated GPS monitoring device on her car for an unnamed customer. After that, they allegedly got minute-by-minute reports on Schieve’s whereabouts.
The recent disclosure of Defendants’ conduct “managed to shock the conscience in a moment of heightened political turbulence,” the lawsuit stated, adding that the identity of the individual who engaged the private investigator will be included in the complaint once it is known.
The action is based on an “outrageous” violation of privacy, according to McDonald Carano’s main attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner in a statement issued after the complaint was filed.
Hosmer-Henner opinions are that they will work hard to find out, who hired the private investigators, and we’ll revise our lawsuit to include accusations against them as well. Henner added that they have been told that the tracking and spying did not just concern Ms. Schieve; thus, people of the community who may be impacted should check their cars and other property for similar gadgets.
An email and voicemail requesting comment were not immediately answered by McNeely or 5 Alpha Industries.
The installation of the device, according to attorneys who filed the case, gave Schieve “substantial anxiety and concern” and constituted an invasion of privacy. They stated that it was a violation of Schieve’s privacy to have her whereabouts tracked and speculated that other members of the Reno community’s automobiles may have also been equipped with monitoring devices.
In an interview with The Nevada Independent on Thursday, Schieve said that during standard car maintenance, auto technicians discovered the tracker roughly two weeks before the election. Schieve brought the gadget to the Sparks Police Department after finding it, and they recognized McNeely as the buyer.
Schieve remarked that she was astounded. She felt sick to her stomach and she never wants a young girl in her family to experience this. It is a violation of privacy. This is stalking, simply said, it’s really disturbing.”
Schieve filed the case on her behalf and not as mayor.
