Update, April 10, 2025 at 3:47 p.m. PT
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve told KUNR in a phone interview Thursday that she welcomed a Nevada Supreme Court order that cleared the way for her to learn who paid to have her followed. But she also found it hard to believe that the legal process was taking so long.
“I would like to know if my safety is a priority,” Schieve said.
She originally filed suit against the private investigator who placed a GPS tracker on her car in December 2022. Ever since, Schieve said she’s been looking over her shoulder, because she’s not sure who’s behind the surveillance.
“You just live your life differently,” she said.
Original story, published April 10, 2025 at 11:22 a.m. PT
The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that the person who hired a private investigator to place a GPS tracker on Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve’s car in 2022 must reveal his identity in court.
All seven justices signed an order Wednesday denying a petition filed on behalf of the investigator’s client, identified as “John Doe” in the filing.
“We conclude that the conduct at issue was non-expressive in nature and not subject to First Amendment protection,” they wrote.
District Court Judge David Hardy had already ruled John Doe’s real name must be revealed last year, but the disclosure was delayed by appeal.
Schieve and former Washoe County commissioner Vaughn Hartung, whose vehicle was also tracked, told KUNR they planned to add the private investigator’s client to their ongoing lawsuit once his name has been revealed.
The case also prompted Nevada lawmakers to make it illegal to place a GPS tracker on someone’s car without their knowledge during the last legislative session, in 2023.
