Nevada Democrat candidate for governor Aaron Ford wrote and passed a last-minute amendment to legislation that ended limits on taxpayer-funded legal bills for the state, a move that enriched big law firms like the one he once owned. Ford is running against incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in the November general election.
Ford’s actions are the subject of an ad titled “Betrayed,” which the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) is airing starting Thursday with a seven-figure investment.
In 2017, Ford served as Senate Majority Leader in Nevada and was instrumental in quietly passing the last-minute amendment. The Nevada Independent reported at the time:
Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford helped pass a last-minute amendment in the waning hours of the 2017 legislative session that removed caps on fees awardable to outside law firms that contract with the state — an arrangement that could financially benefit his employer.
Ford was a partner at the firm Eglet Prince when the legislation was approved, and the firm did not answer whether they had lobbied him on the measure.
Soon thereafter, Ford ran for Nevada Attorney General in 2018 and won the seat.
In early 2019, Ford sought to contract with an outside firm to represent the state in litigation against opioid manufacturers — and the firm selected was Eglet Prince.
The decision was met with calls of blatant conflict of interest against Ford.
The Las Vegas Review Journal said in 2019, “Seven people evaluated nine competing offers. The three that work in the attorney general’s office gave Eglet Prince the high score among the three final choices. Three of the four people who don’t work for Ford gave their highest score to the Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman &Rabkin, LLP. Eglet Prince scored worse than that firm but leaped ahead after receiving a 5 percent bonus for being based in Nevada.”
By 2023, Nevada announced a $285 million settlement with Walgreens in the long-running opioid litigation. Eglet Prince received at least $65 million in attorneys’ fees. In another opioid case in 2022, Eglet Prince received over $5 million thanks to their contract with the state of Nevada.
“Aaron Ford cut a deal with his trial lawyer buddies, and they walked away with a $65 million payday. The deal reeks of corruption, and even the media has called out the blatant conflict of interest,” said RGA Communications Director Kollin Crompton in a statement to Breitbart News. “Add that to his record of siding with violent criminals, and the pattern is clear: Aaron Ford can’t be trusted to protect Nevada families, their communities, or their tax dollars.”
Ford’s questionable ethics have become a flashpoint in the campaign as he challenges Joe Lombardo, who was elected in 2022 and previously was the elected Sheriff of Clark County.
Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.
