Source: https://www.matthewbecksteadlaw.com/blog/
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 13:01:04+00:00

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Matthew Beckstead Law is pleased to announce that it has filed a petition to the Supreme Court of Nevada to seek justice for its client. Our client has awaited adjudication for more than two years, and this wait continues. The petition alleges that Judge Jennifer Elliott, a family-court judge in Clark County, Nevada, has failed to enter a final order adjudicating a motion to modify child support for more than 2 years (in excess of 800 days). The petition alleges that this failure to make a final decision is willful and intentional; it also alleges that this failure to make a decision is still happening. Also, Judge Elliott flat-out denied a motion to strike several papers and orders that were improperly filed and obtained, denying the motion without a hearing and vacating the hearing scheduled for August 2018, in violation of Petitioner’s due-process right to be heard that comes from the Due Process Clause of the Constitution of the United States. Matthew Beckstead Law intends to vigorously resist Judge Elliott’s apparent abuses of discretion in the family-court case. Upon these bases, the petition seeks relief from this State’s excellent Supreme Court, including departmental reassignment of the case and a writ vacating Judge Elliott’s interlocutory order filed last month.
A copy of the petition to the Supreme Court of Nevada is available here.
The United States Constitution was submitted to Congress in the Fall of 1787. Several signatories, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin, had just unanimously ordered that their draft constitution be submitted to delegates from each of the member states of the United States of America.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . . .
The Declaration of Independence General Congress, Assembled, United States of America (Jul. 4, 1776).
In furtherance of these Rights – Life, Liberty, and Happiness – the United States of America officially ratified the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights, on December 15, 1791. One of these amendments, the Fourth Amendment, protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures,” providing for “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects.” See U.S. Const., Am. IV.
The Chief Justice for the Supreme Court of the United States reminded this country, recently, that “[t]he Founding generation crafted the Fourth Amendment as a ‘response to the reviled general warrants and writs of assistance of the colonial era, which allowed British officers to rummage through homes in an unrestrained search for evidence of criminal activity.’” Carpenter v. U.S., 585 U.S. _____ (2018) (slip op., at 4-5) (internal quotation marks omitted) (emphases added) (citing Riley v. California, 573 U.S. _____, _____ (2014) (slip op., at 27)).
In fact, “as John Adams recalled, the patriot James Otis’s 1761 speech condemning writs of assistance was ‘the first act of opposition to the arbitrary claims of Great Britain’ and helped spark the Revolution itself. Id. (emphasis added) (quoting Riley v. California, 573 U.S. _____, _____ (2014) (slip op. at 27-28) (citation omitted)).
General Warrants and Writs of Assistance – Why Did the Founding Generation Hate Them?
It is probably obvious to most people why a general warrant is something that the Founding Generation of the United States hated, once they understand the answer to the following questions: What is a general warrant? What is a writ of assistance? And why should I care?
Farrell, H., America’s founders hated general warrants. So why has the government resurrected them?, The Washington Post (Jun. 14, 2016) (last accessed Jun. 30, 2018), available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/06/14/americas-founders-hated-general-warrants-so-why-has-the-government-resurrected-them/?utm_term=.18f2cae71b99. Mr. Farrell continued, explaining that, “[f]or centuries prior to the U.S. founding, English jurists and legal scholars rejected general warrants as the worst exercise of tyrannical power.” Id. (emphasis added). The Founding Generation continued this centuries-old tradition, and “[s]tate after state went on to outlaw general warrants in their constitutions, before the Fourth Amendment prohibited it in the federal Constitution.” Id.
A writ of assistance is essentially a court order, “used especially in colonial America authorizing a law officer to search in unspecified locations for unspecified illegal goods.” Writ of Assistance, Merriam-Webster (last accessed Jun. 30, 2018), available at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/writ%20of%20assistance.
A writ of assistance is not allowed under U.S. law for a very good reason – it leaves too much authority in the hands of a law-enforcement officer to search at will, without further court intervention. I once heard an anecdote, during law school, that consent to a search meant a complete rummaging-through of your belongings – even slashing your seats and destroying your home’s furniture at will. What thuggish behavior. How exactly, if true, does this behavior further the reason for this country’s founding in the first place, i.e., to secure our inalienable rights, including, but not limited to, Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
With the ever-increasing criminality of seemingly standard behavior, we should all care. America, last I checked, actually had the highest incarceration rate in the world. These two facts demonstrate why everyone should care about privacy law, including the idea of general warrants and writs of assistance. A government that uses unprecedented levels of your information against you in a court of law is, arguably, behaving in a manner that mimics the general warrants and writs of assistance that the Founding Generation and those who preceded them hated for hundreds of years.
It is refreshing to see the highest court in the United States limit the ability of the government to obtain your information without a warrant. This idea that the court system should review law-enforcement officers’ actions to ensure that the executive branch of the system is acting responsibly – not like a tyrant at the helm of a dictatorial state might – has been with the United States of America from its inception.
Thinking About Recording Your Conversation? Read This and Think Again.
This blog article analyzes new case law that clarifies the definition of “wire communication” and holds that the act of recording must occur within Nevada for Nevada’s two-party consent requirement to apply. A person who is physically in Nevada violates Nevada law when he or she records his or her own telephone conversation, and he or she is subject to criminal penalties, unless the person obtains either a court order or a properly obtained ratification pursuant to NRS 200.620(3). See NRS 200.620, 200.690; infra.
Some emergency situation that makes it “impractical to obtain a court order” authorizing the intercept or attempted intercept. NRS 200.620(1)(b). See also NRS 200.620(3) (requiring, inter alia, that after a completed intercept, “a written application to a justice of the Supreme Court or district judge for ratification of the interception” within 72 hours of the interception).
See also Lane v. Allstate Ins. Co., 969 P.2d 938, 939 (Nev. 1998) (concluding that “single party interception must be judicially pre-approved or judicially ratified where an emergency exists to make pre-approval impractical”), cited with approval in Abid v. Abid, 406 P.3d 476 (Nev. 2017).
[T]he transmission of writing, signs, signals, pictures[,] and sounds of all kinds by wire, cable, or other similar connection between the points of origin and reception of such transmission, including all facilities and services incidental to such transmission, which facilities and services include, among other things, the receipt, forwarding[,] and delivering of communications.
NRS 200.610(2); see also NRS 200.610 et seq.
The definition of the phrase “wire communication” in NRS 200.610(2), including for purposes of NRS 200.620, probably includes cell phone calls and text messages, because, in recent years, the Supreme Court of Nevada has interpreted the phrase “wire communication” (as defined in NRS 179.455) to include cell phone calls and text messages. See Sharpe v. State, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 32, 350 P.3d 388, 391-92 (Nev. 2015) (interpreting a definition of “wire communication” similar, but not identical, to NRS 200.610(2) to “include cellular telephone calls and text messages by its plain terms” when the calls and text messages are “‘made in whole or in part . . . by the aid of wire, cable[,] or other like connection between the point of origin and the point of reception.’” Id. at 392 (quoting NRS 179.455)). See generally Ditech Financial, LLC v. Buckles, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 64, 401 P.3d 215, 217 (Nev. 2017) (noting that “[t]his court has concluded that ‘the tape-recording of telephone conversations constitutes an intercept,’ and interpreted NRS 200.620 ‘to prohibit the taping of telephone conversations with the consent of only one party.’” Id. (citing Lane v. Allstate Ins. Co., 114 Nev. 1176, 1179, 969 P.2d 938, 940 (1998); David, Ira, Note, Privacy Concerns Regarding the Monitoring of Instant Messaging in the Workplace: Is It Big Brother or Just Business?, 5 Nev. L.J. 319, 330 (2004))). But see Ditech Financial, LLC v. Buckles, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 64, 401 P.3d 215, 216, 217-218 (“[H]olding that NRS 200.620 does not apply to the recording of interstate calls when the act of recording takes place outside Nevada.”).
In Lane v. Allstate Ins. Co., the court considered multiple issues, including whether a person could record their own telephone conversations. 969 P.2d 938, 940 (Nev. 1998). The Lane majority opinion agreed with the district court’s conclusion “that Lane violated the provisions of NRS 200.620 when he tape-recorded telephone conversations with employees of his former employer.” Id. at 941.
In the court’s majority opinion regarding the interpretation of NRS 200.620, Justices Maupin, Shearing, and Young concluded that NRS 200.620 requires two-party consent to record a telephone conversation. See Lane, 969 P.2d at 939 (Maupin, J.), 941-42 (Shearing, J., concurring in part). The exception to this general rule is where the recording is pre-approved by a court or is posthumously ratified, within 72 hours, pursuant to NRS 200.620(3). See id. at 941-42 (Shearing, J. concurring in part); see also NRS 200.620(1) (noting that a court order is authorized pursuant to NRS 179.410 to NRS 179.515).
So, the takeaway from all of this is that Nevada law considers “willful and knowing” one-party recording of a person’s telephone call, without a court order or subsequent court ratification in the context of an emergency situation, to be unlawful – a Class D Felony, in fact. See NRS 200.690. This includes a cell-phone call, so any person in Nevada who uses an app on their cell phone to record their phone call, without obtaining prior consent from the other caller, has committed a Class D Felony. NRS 200.690 reads, in relevant part “A person who willfully and knowing violates NRS 200.620 to 200.650, inclusive . . . [s]hall be punished for a category D felony as provided in NRS 193.130 . . . [and is] liable” for actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees and costs. NRS 200.690(1).
A regular, civilian citizen might have an argument that the one-party recording was not “willful and knowing,” even if that person has violated NRS 200.620. See Lane v. Allstate, 969 P.2d 938 (Nev. 1998) (Springer, C.J., concurring in part) (“We certainly cannot hold Mr. Lane criminally responsible for violating a statute the meaning of which cannot be agreed upon by the members of this court.”) This argument is weaker today than it was when the Lane opinion was published, because, as noted above, the Supreme Court of Nevada has clarified the law on more than one occasion since Lane, having remained consistent that two-party consent is a must, in the absence of a prior court order or a subsequently obtained ratification pursuant to NRS 200.620(3).
I advise against recording a cell-phone call, video-messaging session, landline call, or other similar communication while physically in Nevada, unless you have prior, two-party consent to the recording. To do otherwise is to put yourself at risk of committing a felony.
 In other words, without judicial pre-approval, a single-party interception must be judicially ratified, have consent of one party, and be made in the context of an emergency, or it is unlawful.
 This article does not cover federal law, which could govern a particular intercept or attempted intercept of phone calls, text messages, and/or other communications. Before engaging in such conduct, consult with an attorney who is experienced in such matters.
 Lane v. Allstate contains a plurality opinion (1-2-1-1 opinion). Justice Maupin wrote the majority opinion as to the interpretation of NRS 200.620; Justice Shearing wrote a partial concurrence, with which Justice Young agreed. Chief Justice Springer and Justice Rose each wrote separate dissenting opinions that concurred in the result, i.e., reversing the district court. A plurality opinion is “[a]n opinion lacking enough judges’ votes to constitute a majority, but receiving more votes than any other opinion.” Black’s Law Dictionary 1119 (7th ed. 1999).
If you have a violent or threatening squatter on your property (even if you are merely an authorized tenant and not the property owner) (for an introduction on squatters, and for more on who qualifies as a squatter, see last month’s post, available at https://www.matthewbecksteadlaw.com/6-steps-to-removing-your-squatters-in-nevada/), you may file an eviction action with your local justice court, such as the Las Vegas Justice Court, as long as you follow certain steps. Ideally, the squatter will scram when he or she understands that you are pursuing legal action. Realistically, this won’t always be the case. Although these steps might seem frustrating, they are probably designed to efficiently address the problem, rather than authorizing an immediate formal eviction action filed in court.
Before diving in, it is important to understand who qualifies as a violent or threatening squatter. For purposes of this article, a squatter is “violent or threatening” where he or she “[u]nlawfully holds and keeps the possession of any real property by force or threats of violence,” NRS 40.240(1)(a). If this is the case for you, document (by legal means only) the use of force and/or threats of violence and prepare a notice to surrender, which must be served upon each individual squatter. A person is a violent and/or threatening squatter even if he or she gained possession of the house without violence or threat and later becomes violent or threatening; there is no requirement that the squatter be violent the entire time in order for you to have legal authority to prepare and serve a notice to surrender.
The notice to surrender can be served by “[t]he owner of the real property, an authorized representative of the owner[,] or the occupant who is authorized by the owner to be in possession of the real property,” NRS 40.240(2). As discussed below, you may believe, as I do, that using a professional process server is the best way to serve documents. Notice, too, that the statute does not limit “force” to force against a person – it appears to include any and all force used to further the purpose of holding and keeping the residence. For example, if a squatter kicks the dog to show you she means business and will not leave the property quietly, that appears to qualify as the kind of force the law forbids, and you can begin the process of evicting the violent or threatening squatter. It’s worth repeating – you may not need to follow each of these steps; maybe your violent or threatening squatter(s) will get the message and leave sooner than later.
Of his or her right to contest the matter by filing, before the court’s close of business on the fourth judicial day following service of the notice of surrender, an affidavit with the court that has jurisdiction over the matter stating the reasons why the unlawful or unauthorized occupant is not guilty of a forcible entry or forcible detainer.
That if the court determines that the unlawful or unauthorized occupant is guilty of a forcible entry or forcible detainer, the court may issue a summary order for removal of the unlawful or unauthorized occupant, or an order providing for the nonadmittance of the unlawful or unauthorized occupant, directing the sheriff or constable of the county to remove the unlawful or unauthorized occupant within 24 hours after the sheriff’s or constable’s receipt of the order from the court.
That, except as otherwise provided in in this paragraph, the owner of the real property, an authorized representative of the owner, or the occupant who is authorized by the owner of the real property to be in possession of the real property, shall provide safe storage of any personal property of the unlawful or unauthorized occupant which remains on the property. The owner, an authorized representative of the owner, or the occupant may dispose of any personal property of the unlawful or unauthorized occupant remaining on the real property after 14 calendar days from the execution of an order for removal of the unlawful or unauthorized occupant or the compliance of the unlawful or unauthorized occupant with the notice to surrender, whichever comes first. The unlawful or unauthorized occupant must pay the owner, authorized representative of the owner, or occupant for the reasonable and actual costs of inventory, moving, and storage of the personal property before the personal property will be released to the unlawful or unauthorized occupant.
Ok, now that you have your notice to surrender for each and every squatter, you must serve each and every squatter. Your best bet for serving a notice to surrender is to contact an authorized process server in your area. It makes life simpler, and these folks are more experienced than the average person when it comes to serving notices. If you are going to use self-help and serve it yourself, you do so at your own risk, but the law appears to allow this. See NRS 40.240(2). If you must insist, think it through and be smart and safe about it. It seems worth it, though, to pay a few dozen bucks to the local sheriff’s office to have them do it for you – why not let them handle it?
If you choose to proceed on your own, without the aid of a professional process server, Nevada law has specific requirements for serving a notice to surrender. See NRS 40.280(2). You can “deliver” a copy to your squatter(s) in person, “in the presence of a witness,” NRS 40.280(2)(a), but this is not your best option, because people are crazy.
If the violent and/or threatening squatter is “absent from the real property,” you still have the option and ability to serve the notice to surrender. To do so, you may leave a copy with another adult squatter who is living in your residence and, in addition to leaving a copy with an adult at the residence, you must mail a copy (I suggest doing this via certified mail (using certified mail with tracking at the United States Postal Service, for example)) to the address for your residence and address the notice to “Current Occupant.” See NRS 40.280(2)(b). I can hear you now: “But what if I have one of those locking, community mailboxes and my squatters don’t have access to the mail there?” Doesn’t matter. The law has specific requirements for serving a notice to surrender. So, if you can leave it with the nice squatter, the gray-bearded fellow who smiles at you as you walk by, this is one option at your disposal (just remember to mail a copy, too). Remember, discretion is the better part of valor! Be safe. Be smart. Use discretion. I truly feel that having a professional process server or your local sheriff serve the notice to surrender is the best option, for, perhaps, a dozen reasons, which I will not utter here (Yes, this is a Gandalf the Grey reference, in case you were wondering).
If there is nobody in sight when you arrive, you may post a copy of the notice to surrender on the door or other visible place, but you must also mail a copy (I suggest doing this via certified mail (using certified mail with tracking at the United States Postal Service, for example)) to the residence’s address and address the notice to “Current Occupant.” See NRS 40.280(2)(c).
Later on, if you must go to court in an eviction action pursuant to NRS 40.414, you are going to have to file proof that you served a notice to surrender. See NRS 40.280(4). Remember when I suggested that you to send your notice to surrender via certified mail? Because you kept your tracking number handy and you have your delivery confirmation (maybe you downloaded an authorized copy of the delivery confirmation from the mail carrier’s website and printed it), you can more easily demonstrate for the court that you’ve done well for yourself and followed the legal requirements for serving your notice to surrender. If you used your local sheriff or a private, licensed process server, make sure you keep a copy of their affidavit of service so you can show the court that you served the notice to surrender. See NRS 40.280(4). Attach any documents you have showing you served the notice to surrender to a certificate of service or affidavit, to be filed with the court.
If an individual squatter leaves by 5:00 p.m. on the fourth judicial day, never to come back and having ridden off into the sunset for good, you cannot file for eviction with the court as to that squatter. See NRS 40.414(4)(a). The key word in the statute is “surrender”; a squatter must “surrender the real property” to you, your agent, or authorized occupant. Once each and every squatter has “surrendered” the property, you may safely take possession of the property and secure it, including changing the locks. Whether a particular person has “surrendered” the real property can be a nuanced, detailed legal question that depends on the circumstances of each case. If you doubt that you can show the judge that a particular, individual squatter “surrendered” the real property, consult with an attorney before proceeding.
If an individual squatter formally objects to the eviction proceedings, pursuant to NRS 40.414(4)(c), by 5:00 p.m. on the fourth judicial day, your only option is to file an eviction complaint pursuant to NRS 40.414(5). See NRS 40.414(4)(c). See also NRS 40.414(6)(b)-(d).
If the individual squatter is still there, at the property, but he or she has not formally objected pursuant to NRS 40.414(4)(c), ask the court to find that you have presented sufficient evidence in your complaint “to demonstrate that a . . . forcible detainer has been committed” by that squatter. See NRS 40.414(6)(a). If the court makes this finding, it “must issue an order directing the sheriff or constable of the county to remove . . . [the individual squatter] within 24 hours after the sheriff’s or constable’s receipt of the order from the court,” NRS 40.414(6)(a). If the court issues such an order, make sure your local sheriff or constable receives a copy of the order. If you are unsure of how to proceed, you may ask your local court’s staff for guidance on how to ensure that the sheriff or constable receives a copy for service.
Nevada law has specific instructions for handling a squatter’s leftover property. Fortunately for you, it also protects you against some civil and/or criminal liability if the court orders your squatters to leave the property, but you must follow the legal requirements set forth in NRS 40.414 (7). See generally NRS 40.414(7). I may cover these requirements at a later time, but it might just be easier for you to consult an attorney on how to proceed from here. This area gets a bit more complex and nuanced. If you’ve made it this far without a lawyer, congratulations – now might be the time to get one.
If you own the property or are the owner’s authorized representative, you may seek treble damages for “three times the amount at which actual damages are assessed,” NRS 40.240(3). In violent and/or threatening squatter cases, “actual damages” means damages to real property and personal property. NRS 40.240(3).
If you wish to pursue your squatters for damages, you should obtain credible evidence and provide it to the court. This may include photographs and witness testimony from a trustworthy person, for example.
No, I do not think trying to sell squatter property to offset any damage to your property is a good idea, and I’m not sure it’s allowed. See NRS 40.414(7).
* For purposes of this blog post, the term “squatter” means a person who forcibly detains real property pursuant to NRS 40.240(1)(a).
Nevada lawmakers have made it a crime to be a squatter, which means that police involvement is appropriate when you suspect someone is squatting on your property. This law only applies to a structural building that is intended to be a residence or place for sleeping. The first step in asserting your rights as the property owner is to have the appropriate police department pay your squatters a visit.
Squatting falls into two categories: Housebreaking and Unlawful Occupancy.
Housebreaking happens when a person uses physical force, or changes or alters the locks, to enter “an uninhabited or vacant dwelling” with the knowledge that they do not have permission from you, the property owner, to be there and that person does so with the intent to be a resident or sublet your property to another person. A first offense is a gross misdemeanor. A second and any additional offense is a felony.
Unlawful occupancy happens when someone begins living in your “uninhabited or vacant dwelling” without your permission and the person knows that he or she does not have your permission to live in the residence. A first offense is a gross misdemeanor. A third and any subsequent offense is a felony.
If you suspect you have squatters who are guilty of housebreaking and/or unlawful occupancy, contact the police and provide them with as much information and evidence as you can. Take pictures and/or video (without invading privacy or going crazy – if you find yourself filming intimate squatter moments, for example, you have gone too far and are probably criminally and/or civilly liable for what you’ve done. NO INVASIONS OF PRIVACY!). Keep a notebook of witness names, dates, times, incidents, etc. The more detailed, the better.
After the authorities have handled your squatters and any minor children who may be residing in your house, and everyone is gone, you are then and only then legally authorized to (1) retake possession and (2) change the locks. Doing both is advisable, but at the very least you should change the locks and totally secure the premises so that your squatters or other, new squatters do not get any bright ideas. At the same time that you retake possession and/or change the locks to house, you must post a written notice on the house that complies with Nevada law.
Step 3 – Post the required written notice on your house on the same day you retake possession of your property and/or change the locks, and leave it there for at least 21 calendar days.
One or more locks on the dwelling have been changed as the result of an arrest for housebreaking or unlawful occupancy.
The unlawful or unauthorized occupant has the right to contest the matter by filing a verified complaint for reentry with the court within 21 calendar days after the date you retook possession and/or changed the locks. The squatters must serve the complaint at the address you give to the court when you file the written notice (see below).
Reentry of the property without a court order is a criminal offense, punishable by up to 4 years in prison.
Except as otherwise provided in NRS 40.412(2)(d)(4), the owner of the dwelling shall provide safe storage of any personal property which remains on the property. The owner may dispose of any personal property which remains on the property after 21 calendar days from the date indicated in paragraph (c) unless within that time the owner receives an affidavit or notice of hearing pursuant to NRS 40.414. The unlawful or unauthorized occupant may recover his or her personal property by filing an affidavit with the court pursuant to NRS 40.414 within 21 calendar days after the date indicated in paragraph (c). The owner is entitled to payment of the reasonable and actual costs of inventory, moving and storage before releasing the personal property to the occupant.
Step 4 – If you changed the locks on your property, you must file a copy of the notice you posted with your local county justice court the following business day, and the notice must be accompanied by a statement that includes an address for service of any documents upon you or your authorized representative.
If you feel that changing the locks is necessary, you may have to pay a small filing fee (~$2.50) to file a Statement of Possession with your local justice court. Fortunately, this Statement of Possession does not require a filing fee of hundreds of dollars, so the only cost to you as the owner is your time and a few dollars.
You must provide safe storage of any personal property that the squatters left on your property. After 21 calendar days from the date you gave in the notice you posted on your property, however, you may dispose of any personal property which remains on the property. If the squatters have filed an affidavit or notice of hearing pursuant to NRS 40.414, however, DO NOT dispose of the personal property that your squatter(s) left behind, just yet.
In any case, you are entitled to payment of the reasonable and actual costs of inventory, moving and storage before releasing the personal property to the occupant. In some cases, you may be able to keep or sell the personal property to recoup your costs, but you should consult an attorney before doing so. See NRS 40.414(7)(b).
Please take note that next month’s blog post will cover what to do when your squatters are violent and/or threatening toward you and the police have not or will not arrest and remove your squatters. There is separate legal action you can take to obtain a court order. You may be entitled to damages to your house and personal property for three times the amount of damage the squatters caused. More on this next time, so please stay tuned!

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