Former Las Vegas senator sued for not filing disclosure

Former State Sen. Bob Beers is being sued by the secretary of state's office for refusing to file his final financial disclosure statement.

Beers, a Las Vegas Republican, was defeated in the 2008 election by Democrat Allison Copening. According to the complaint filed by Secretary of State Ross Miller's office, he has refused to file the financial disclosure that was due Jan. 15, 2009. Documents filed in Carson District Court last month say he now owes more than $2,000 in civil penalties.

The secretary of state's office sent Beers three different letters calling on him to file the disclosure.

Beers responded with a letter to Miller's office saying he doesn't have to file.

"I respectfully decline as the law clearly does not require any filing," he said in the letter. "I was not elected to office during 2008."

He said since he left office in November 2008, he doesn't have to file.

"The law clearly contemplates failure to win election to office as a reason for not filing the statement," the letter states.

Miller's office, however, argues leaving office - even by losing an election - doesn't excuse any official from the requirement to file a disclosure statement at the end of his final year of service.

No hearing date has been set in the case.

Beers, however, apparently won a separate legal case arising from that same election last week. He and his attorney announced a settlement in his defamation suit against the state Democratic Party. Beers said the Democrats agreed to pay $2,500 to a charity and sign a letter stating that a 2008 campaign flier charging he was being investigated by the Ethics Commission was false.

Democrats refused comment on that issue saying a settlement wasn't yet complete.

Beers served in the Assembly from 1999-2004 and the Senate 2005-2008.