Biography
Judge Stefany A. Tewell (ret.) is a native Texan and proud Texas Aggie. Stefany was elected to
the bench at 34 years of age making her, at that time, the youngest trial court judge elected in
Nevada. Stefany was re-elected by the public at large in four different general elections.
During her sixteen years on the bench, Stefany presided over approximately 1000 civil and
criminal cases per year for a population of 2.3 million people. The caseload assigned
encompassed complex civil litigation, class actions, products liability, construction litigation,
bad faith litigation, medical malpractice, homeowners’ association litigation, employment
litigation, contract disputes, personal injury litigation and wrongful death, real estate disputes,
felony crimes, adult guardianship, and family law – including divorces, custody, termination of
parental rights, and domestic violence cases. Stefany also heard appeals from all state
administrative agencies and justice and municipal courts and was appointed by the governor of
Nevada as an alternate Nevada Supreme Court Justice.
Stefany has also received 40 hours of mediator training from the National Judicial College. She
used this training to settle over 100 civil matters prior to trial. Stefany’s legal decisions have
been affirmed by the Nevada Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appels in over thirty
published cases. Many of Stefany’s cases have also been the subject of worldwide media
coverage and television shows. In 2005, before remote proceedings were commonplace,
Stefany was the first judge in Nevada to perform a remote trial which gave a bed ridden litigant
access to the courthouse. Stefany was also the first judge in Nevada to grant equal parental
and adoptive rights to same sex partners. In this case of first impression, Stefany was affirmed
by the Nevada Supreme Court, laying the foundation for other equal rights for same sex
partners. Additionally, Stefany has been involved with numerous local charities including Junior
League of Las Vegas. Through the Junior League, Stefany helped to raise money for numerous
charities including HELP of Southern Nevada, Channel 10 Ready To Learn, and the Ronald
McDonald House. Stefany assisted in authoring and passing the Safe Haven for Babies
Legislation which gives parents a safe, additional option for unwanted children. Stefany has
also been involved with the Jean Nidetch Women’s Center and UMC Children’s Miracle
Network.
Prior to taking the bench Stefany worked for State Farm Insurance Company handling high
value claims, extracontractual and bad faith claims, coverage issues, and wrongful death claims.
While at State Farm, Stefany conducted hundreds of depositions of witnesses, parties and
experts, and over 100 arbitrations. Stefany also attended the National Institute of Trial
Advocacy and tried several cases to jury verdict obtaining favorable verdicts for her clients.
Stefany started her career as an associate attorney with the boutique civil litigation firm of
Jolley, Urga, Wirth & Woodbury in Las Vegas, Nevada. While at Jolley Urga, Stefany oversaw
the personal injury division of the firm negotiating settlements in several multi-million-dollar
cases.
Stefany is the proud mother of three wonderful sons.
Education
- California Western School of Law, San Diego, California 1995 (with honors)
- Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 1993
Speaking Engagements & Presentations
- Featured Speaker, Collective Bargaining Rights in Nevada.
- Apple podcast, Killer Genes, exclusive with Thomas Randolph aka the Black Widower.
- Dateline NBC, The Widower, 3-part series.
- On the case with Paula Zahn, The Hero Who Wasn’t.
Recognitions & Distinctions
- Youngest Trial Court Judge elected in Nevada History, elected at 34 years of age
- Top 100 Women of Influence by Nevada Magazine in 2015
- National Judicial College Mediator Training
Representative Experience
- Nevada Power Co. v. 3 Kids, LLC, 302 P.3d 1155 (July 3, 2013). Affirmed.
REAL PROPERTY-Eminent Domain. Jury was permitted to consider restrictions imposed on property by county setback when determining fair market value. - Daisy Trust v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 445 P.3d 846 (July 25, 2019). Affirmed.
REAL PROPERTY-Mortgages and Deeds of Trust. Freddie Mac did not need to be the beneficiary of record to establish its ownership interest in property sold at foreclosure sale. - Amaral v. Shull, 373 P.3d 890 (March 21, 2011). Affirmed.
COMMERCIAL LAW-Damages. Award of $40,000 in punitive damages was supported by the evidence in seller’s action against buyer of motor home. - Flores v. Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, 432 P.3d 173 (December 13, 2018). Affirmed.
GOVERNMENT-Weapons. Senate bill governing firearms regulation by the legislature did not preempt library district from banning possession of firearms on its premises. - Pizarro-Ortega v. Cervantes-Lopez, 396 P.3d 783 (June 22, 2017). Affirmed.
TORTS-Discovery. Rule requiring pretrial disclosure of “computation of any category of damages claimed” applied to claim for future medical expenses. - Torres v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 317 P.3d 828 (January 30, 2014). Affirmed.
LITIGATION-Interest. There was no statutory authorization for award of compound interest on judgment. - Alotaibi v. State, 404 P.3d 761 (November 9, 2017). Affirmed.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE-Lesser Included Offenses. Statutory seduction was not lesser included offense of sexual assault with a minor. - Sweat v. 8th Judicial District Court in & for County of Clark, 403 P.3d 353 (October 5, 2017). Affirmed.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE-Double Jeopardy. Defendant waived his right to be free from multiple prosecutions for domestic violence by failing to follow terms of plea agreement. - Rodriquez v. State, 273 P.3d 845 (April 5, 2012). Affirmed.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE-Evidence. Text messages from victim’s cellular telephone following sexual assault was not properly authenticated.
Memberships & Affiliations
- State Bar of Texas
- Austin Bar Association
- Austin Young Lawyers Association
Admissions
- State of Nevada, 1996
- United States District Court, District of Nevada, 1996
- State of Texas, 2019