The State Bar of Nevada is preparing to request a competency hearing for Las Vegas attorney Ty Maynarich, following the filing of a peculiar lawsuit against his former employer, veteran attorney John Cotton.
Although there are no active complaints against Maynarich from the bar as of now, the nature of his suit has raised alarms for Daniel Hooge, the bar counsel responsible for overseeing attorney discipline.
Hooge described the complaint as odd and expressed concern over some of the underlying threats present within the text.
“It was a very odd complaint, and some of the veiled threats did concern us,” Hooge stated.
Additionally, Maynarich has a history of unprofessional behavior, having previously been admonished by a federal judge. He is also facing allegations related to an incident in which he allegedly smashed a person’s vehicle windows.
Having been an attorney in Nevada since 2017, Maynarich served as a law clerk in Clark County District Court and earned his law degree from UNLV.
In his recent lawsuit, Maynarich accuses Cotton of potentially being involved in the theft of his license plate back in 2017. He also alleges that Cotton might have participated in a civil conspiracy to tamper with chicken stored in his refrigerator during the same year.
In his lawsuit, Maynarich demands a jury trial for relief.
“I would settle for a trial by combat but that is also now illegal and I cannot beat up an old man because I respect the elderly,” he added in his filing.
Cotton, who has been practicing law in Nevada since 1995, vehemently denies all allegations put forth in the lawsuit. He believes that Maynarich is misusing the legal system as a means to tarnish his reputation.
In a statement, Cotton clarified, “It’s the rantings of someone who’s got problems. I did not even meet Maynarich until 2024.”
The lawsuit has garnered significant attention within the legal community, quickly becoming a topic of discussion on the Las Vegas Law Blog, a platform where attorneys share legal gossip and debate various issues anonymously.
Hooge confirmed this trend, stating, “The complaint, once it was made public, kind of passed around the legal community pretty quickly, spread like wildfire.”
Cotton has expressed concern for both his paralegals and himself in light of Maynarich’s lawsuit. He reported that the State Bar reached out to him to express their worry as well.
In their efforts to ensure Maynarich’s well-being, Hooge revealed that the bar has attempted to reach out to him but has been unsuccessful. They have even requested the Henderson police to conduct a welfare check on him.
In addition to the actions concerning the bar, Hooge noted that plans are underway to petition the Nevada Supreme Court for a competency hearing to further evaluate Maynarich’s mental health status.
In a recent interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Maynarich stated that he does not believe he requires treatment and has not received any formal mental health diagnosis.
“All these people are involved in a civil conspiracy, and it makes me sound like a crazy person, but I’m not,” he asserted during the conversation. “All I’ve done is try to do my job.”
Further complicating the situation, Maynarich is also facing serious allegations in a pending case at the Las Vegas Justice Court, where he stands accused of injuring or tampering with a vehicle, a felony offense.
According to a report from the Metropolitan Police Department issued in February, Maynarich allegedly caused significant damage to a vintage Cadillac by smashing its windows, headlights, and taillights with a flashlight. The car owner has estimated the total damage at approximately $20,000.
Court records indicate that Maynarich has been identified as indigent and is currently being represented by the public defender’s office, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for August.
While Maynarich declined to comment on the criminal allegations during his interview, Cotton further elaborated on Maynarich’s behavior in the workplace, having had to address his unprofessional conduct more than once.
“He just got stranger and stranger to the point my paralegals were afraid of him,” Cotton recalled.
Cotton ultimately allowed Maynarich to resign from his position earlier this year, confirming that the resignation was mutual.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Koppe has also taken note of Maynarich’s behavior, admonishing him in a civil case for what she described as “a completely offensive, unacceptable, and inappropriate comment” made during a settlement conference.
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