By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Former Toledo elementary school principal Ron Reynolds lost his federal lawsuit against the Lewis County coroner and has filed an appeal.
Reynolds contended Coroner Warren McLeod had no legal basis for conducting an inquest into the 1998 death of his then-wife, Ronda Reynolds.
[1]Ron Reynolds
His lawyer called the 2011 proceedings scandalous, leading to severe harm to his client’s reputation and employability.
The initial claim listed $5 million in damages and the case was filed in Lewis County Superior Court, and then moved to U.S. District Court in late 2013.
U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle granted a summary judgement early last month in favor of McLeod, and Lewis County, which is also named.
At issue was the October 2011 coroner’s inquest convened by McLeod, who made a campaign promise the year before to deal with the long controversial death of former state trooper Ronda Reynolds.
Ronda Reynolds, 33, was found with a bullet in her head and covered by a turned-on electric blanket on the floor of a closet in the Toledo home she shared with her husband of less than a year and his three sons.
[2]Warren McLeod
Reynolds’ and his son Jonathan Reynolds were named by the inquest jury as responsible for the death, which the panel concluded was homicide.
The inquest and the days that followed it were heavily covered by the local and regional news media, as well as providing the framework for a one-hour documentary produced by CBS television’s 48 Hours Mystery.
Jonathan Reynolds was also party to suit with his father, but had dismissed his claim, according to attorney John Justice, who represents McLeod and the county.
Justice said he felt like the summary judgement represented the court’s belief the inquest was fair and impartial, the conclusions of the inquest jury were based on the instructions given and that state law mandated the issuance of arrest warrants after that.
[3]Ronda Reynolds
The two men were arrested and immediately released by a Lewis County Superior Court judge because the prosecutor was not filing criminal charges following the inquest.
“I think it boiled down to the court found Coroner McLeod had the authority to conduct the inquest,” Justice said today.
Ron Reynolds, though his attorney, filed the appeal within the 30 days to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, he said.
McLeod declined to comment on the case, and Ron Reynolds’ attorney has not returned phone calls seeking comment.
Ron Reynolds and his lawyer have until August 10 to file their brief, Justice said, and then he has 30 days to file his response on behalf of the county and the coroner.
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For background, read “Lawsuit filed against Lewis County coroner over inquest” from Tuesday December 17, 2013, here [4]