Jan. 12—CLARK COUNTY — A judge has agreed to continue a potential trial date along with other deadlines in a federal civil case brought by 20 female inmates against Clark County jail officials.

The case was filed after the plaintiffs claimed they were harassed and intimidated, with some stating they were sexually assaulted by male inmates in October 2021. The male inmates gained access to the female pod areas after buying a key from former Clark County Corrections officer David J. Lowe, attorneys for the plaintiffs state in court records.

Defendants including former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel and current Sheriff Scottie Maples, who were named in the lawsuit due to their capacity as managers of the jail, have denied the most serious of the allegations. Noel and Maples stated after the incident that the sheriff’s office immediately investigated the incident and had Lowe arrested for selling the key. They claim they found no evidence, including from video footage, that female inmates were assaulted.

Lowe has denied wrongdoing in the case.

The parties entered into negotiation settlements last August, reporting some progress.

In a Dec. 21, 2023 filing, attorneys for the defendants said that while a settlement hasn’t been reached, the parties “have negotiated in good faith and have been able to reach an agreed resolution of 16 of the 20 plaintiffs’ claims.”

The motion to adjust deadlines and a potential trial was due to the amount of discovery requests and turnover of lawyers in one of the defense attorney’s office, court records show.

“The request is made in the best interests of judicial economy because the parties will continue to negotiate the remaining claims to see if there is any common ground that can be reached and further narrow the issues for dispositive motions and trial,” defense attorneys stated in their motion.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys didn’t oppose the motion. On Tuesday, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt approved the motion, moving a potential trial date from Aug. 26 of this year to February 2025.

“Because of the age of this case, the parties should anticipate no further extensions of the deadlines or continuance of the trial date,” Pratt stated in the ruling.

Plaintiffs are seeking financial compensation in the civil suit. Lowe is the only person to be criminally charged over the incident, and his felony trial is slated for next month.