Officials to vote on $375K settlement for employees in Robert Telles suit

Clark County commissioners are set to vote on a $375,000 settlement for three employees who sued the county over its handling of complaints against then-Public Administrator Robert Telles.

The complaints came before Telles was accused of fatally stabbing Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.

Telles was convicted in August 2024 of murdering German nearly two years prior. German had written several stories outlining allegations that Telles bullied employees, created a hostile work environment and carried out an affair with a subordinate.

Jessica Coleman, Aleisha Goodwin, Noraine Pagdanganan and Rita Reid filed a federal lawsuit against Clark County in May 2024. The lawsuit alleged that the county took no action in response to complaints filed about Telles’ behavior and “utterly failed to protect” the employees. County commissioners are set to vote on Tuesday to distribute the settlement between three of the women.

Pagdanganan agreed to an offer of judgment for $10,000 from Clark County in May.

‘More like justice’

The settlement subject to Tuesday’s vote has been agreed to by Coleman, Goodwin and Reid, said their attorney, Taylor Jorgensen. It is nearly four times more than a $100,000 settlement proposed by Clark County in May — an amount the plaintiffs called “disrespectful.”

Jorgensen said her clients had to weigh the cost of moving forward with a trial and reliving the “worst moments” of their lives.

“It definitely feels more like justice than it did with the initial settlement talks,” the attorney said. “It also just feels like, for them, it’s time to honor everything that happened, honor Jeff German by moving forward and living their lives.”

If commissioners approve the proposed settlement, Coleman will receive $90,000, Goodwin will receive $240,000 and Reid will receive $45,000.

Clark County declined to comment on the settlement.

Reid has served as the public administrator since she ran against Telles out of “desperation” to remove him from the office, she said. No amount of money could adequately compensate her for the county’s response to Telles’ behavior, she said. But Reid also said the lawsuit was about bringing light to the women’s experiences.

“Maybe it will make a difference somewhere down the road and allow employees to be better heard by all levels,” she said on Monday.

Reid said she and the other women felt like they have been ignored by county officials. Nevertheless, all of the plaintiffs have continued to work for the public administrator’s office.

“Never in my life had I thought of suing anyone,” Reid said. “These were really extreme situations.”

Reid has not filed for re-election. She said she’s given everything she can give to the office and plans to retire when her term ends.

Claims against Telles

The women also sued Telles but voluntarily dismissed the claims against him last year. They had alleged that Telles created a hostile work environment, discriminated against Reid based on her age, discriminated against Goodwin based on her religion, and retaliated against employees for filing complaints or not reciprocating Telles’ sexual advances.

“We felt the issue was more so with the county’s response to the complaints that our clients made about Telles,” Jorgensen said about the decision to dismiss the claims against him.

Telles, acting as his own attorney, filed a countersuit against the women. He alleged that the original lawsuit contained false allegations and was slanderous.

Litigation over the countersuit is still in the discovery process, Jorgensen said.

Telles began working as the elected public administrator in January 2019. The federal lawsuit alleged that he “exhibited concerning behaviors almost immediately.” Goodwin first filed a complaint against him in August 2020, with the three other plaintiffs acting as witnesses to the complaint.

German began reporting on the tension inside the office in May 2022. Clark County quickly brought in former county Coroner Michael Murphy to act as a consultant and ease the turmoil in the office following German’s reporting.

Pagdanganan and Coleman submitted their own complaints a month later, alleging retaliatory behavior by Telles, according to the lawsuit.

That same month, Telles lost a primary race to Reid, ending his re-election bid. German wrote several stories on the allegations against Telles and the fallout of his election loss.

Telles murdered German, 69, in September 2022 outside the reporter’s Las Vegas home.

The lawsuit alleged that Clark County interviewed the women who authored the complaints but took no further action to investigate Telles. The county then told the women that the complaints were moot and were being closed after Telles was arrested in the murder.

A Clark County spokesperson previously said that county officials did not search through Telles’ workplace messages following the complaints. In January 2025, the Review-Journal obtained records containing tens of thousands of emails and messages Telles sent during his time as public administrator.

The records showed evidence of an affair Telles carried out with an employee, which was referenced in the complaints filed against him.

“Clark County is vicariously liable for damages and injuries caused by Telles’ unlawful actions carried out in the course and scope of his position as Public Administrator,” attorneys wrote in the federal lawsuit.

Telles is serving a sentence of 28 years to life in prison.