Judge won't delay Jeremy Johnson case in Nevada

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A federal judge in Nevada has struck down an attempt by regulators to delay proceedings in a civil lawsuit against St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson because of the government shutdown.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said the government had brought the case against Johnson, his online marketing company I Works and others associated with him and had an obligation to pursue it.

She said a stay would upset this month's scheduled questioning of experts and could hurt the defendants as well as the consumers Johnson allegedly defrauded.

The Federal Trade Commission requested the stay because of the shutdown, saying its attorneys were barred from working.

A criminal case in Salt Lake City against Johnson — a central figure in the scandal enveloping Utah Attorney General John Swallow — is proceeding, though nothing is scheduled until January.

Tom Harvey