The Judge, the Senior Partner, the Junior Lawyer and the Scandal
This is the scandal that brought international attention to Reno and has people questioning Judicial ethics and attorney relations. I explain some of the details that are not in the newspapers.
Jan 30, 2026
Judge Bridgett Robb — and the Allegations
The story starts with Judge Bridgett E. Robb, a long-serving jurist in Washoe County’s Second Judicial District Court, where she has presided over Family Division cases for nearly two decades.
This article is based on court documents and other legal documents that I uncovered. Missing details are filled in through speculation based on what I have observed and have been told, and are opinions, not facts.
Link to Daily Mail, Respected judge who served on Supreme Court task force is accused of STALKING a female attorney.
In January 2026, Robb became the subject of attention after a temporary protective order (TPO) was granted against her following allegations that she engaged in a more than a year-long pattern of stalking a local attorney.
Link, RCP2026-000015-Application for Protection Against Stalking
According to the TPO application, the Attorney alleged that Robb repeatedly followed and appeared near her at residences, workplaces, and other locations in Reno starting in May 2024, describing the conduct as “willful, repeated, and patterned.”
The police initiated an investigation in late 2025 and documented Robb driving through areas where the Attorney was present, then confronted and questioned Robb, who admitted to stalking, according to the TPO application.
The temporary protective order was filed on January 12, 2026, and granted by a judge on January 16. The Senior Judge removed Robb from all cases and committee assignments, and the court initiated an internal review.
A hearing to determine whether the protective order should be extended was scheduled for February 13, 2026.
Amid the controversy, Robb announced her retirement, effective February 6, 2026, and withdrew from a judicial election campaign. She is currently over 60 years old and has a vested pension, according to sources.
Kelci Binau, the Attorney who made the allegations
The Attorney who filed the TPO application is Kelci Skye Binau, at the prominent Reno law firm McDonald Carano, where she practices gaming law. McDonald Carano represents the ROW Casinos according to publicly available information.
Within the firm, Kelci has held leadership roles, serving as Vice Chair of the Associates’ Committee and Vice Chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.
She is also active in professional organizations, including Global Gaming Women, where she has served in leadership and communications roles.
Link to NNBW article, People: Kelci Binau selected to Emerging Leaders of Gaming 40 Under 40
Kelci’s Marriage and Schooling
Kelci married Stephen C. Binau II in 2014, at age 25. He owns 6 autobody shops, including Steve’s Collision in Sparks. Kelci and Stephen enjoyed a wedding at the Ledson Winery in Napa Valley, complete with a horse-drawn carriage and romantic photos posted to Kelci’s Facebook.
In May 2018, Kelci graduated from McGeorge School of Law in the top 10% of her class, a milestone she marked publicly in a Facebook post thanking her “supportive and loving husband” and noting that she was beginning preparation for the Nevada Bar exam, which she passed later that year and got the job at McDonald Carano.
Kelci and Stephen Binau pose for a photo after she graduated from the University of the Pacific. People have wondered if she’s doing a “Legally Blonde” thing here.
Link, Document 5549340 Grant, Bargain, and Sale Deed
A deed dated June 26, 2025, shows Stephen Binau conveying property to Kelci as her sole and separate property, while describing her as a married woman. In filings related to this case, Binau states that she lives alone, indicating separation, though no divorce filing has been identified in the public record.
Matthew Addison: the boyfriend and a senior partner at McDonald Carano
At the center of the scandal is Matthew C. Addison, a long-tenured Reno attorney at McDonald Carano, who had relationships with both Judge Robb and with Kelci Binau.
Addison is described as a partner with a primary focus on construction law and litigation. He started at the firm as a law clerk in 1989, became an associate in 1991, a partner in 1998, and was Managing Partner of the Reno office from 2018 through 2025.
Addison has served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Nevada State Contractors Board. He is listed as a Judge Pro Tem for the Reno Municipal Court, and an active supporter of the Nevada Military Support Alliance, Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation, Nevada Women’s Fund, and WIN Nevada.
How Addison connects to Judge Robb and Kelci Binau
In an addendum to the TPO filed by Kelci Binau, Addison describes a 10-year-long “friends with benefits” relationship with Judge Robb that he says ended around late 2021.
In the TPO application, Binau described Judge Robb’s professional work as including private mediation, with mediations conducted for attorneys and clients associated with the McDonald Carano law firm and other firms in the same building.
Addison admits to beginning a romantic relationship with Kelci Binau in early 2024, in the TPO application, and circumstances frame that relationship as the catalyst for what Binau alleges became a sustained pattern of stalking by Judge Robb.
Binau’s social media presence reflects the lifestyle of an upwardly mobile young professional: fashion-forward social events, friendships with peers, and participation in community and cultural activities.
Taken together, the record shows Kelci Binau as a relatively young attorney whose legal career, personal relationships, and professional environment converged in a way that ultimately led to a scandal.
What remains contested is not her background or credentials, but how those intersecting relationships escalated into a legal dispute with significant professional consequences for others involved.
Conflicts of Interest Must be Avoided
Avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest is required for people in Judge Robb’s and Matt Addison’s positions. Robb has already resigned. Is Addison next? As a Judge Pro Tem, Senior Partner, and Office Manager, he must meet the highest ethical standards, yet he has brought unwanted scrutiny to the firm.
Update: I delayed this article while gathering some last-minute information, and Mark Robinson at RGJ dropped the story about Matt Addison resigning at 8 pm last night. Next, I think we will see the blame game, with Matt taking the fall. But the implications for McDonald Carano are substantial.
Link: Matt Addison resigns from Reno law firm after ties to judge revealed.
In addition to the mediations, Robb is said to have done cases outside of Family law. We don’t know whether Addison brought any of these to McDonald Carano, or how much the law firm knew about what was going on. Let’s hope that the investigation finds out because it makes one wonder.
Link to RGJ, Washoe court reviews cases tied to judge, lawyer in sexual relationship.
“We are looking into any potential of undisclosed conflict of interest in past cases,” said Court Clerk Alicia Lerud on Monday, from the RGJ article.
“Our system of justice works because people believe in its legitimacy. People have to believe the system works. That’s why lawyers have a code of ethics and judges have a code of ethics,” said Nancy Rapaport, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas law professor who teaches ethics, from the RGJ article.
Conclusion: Why This Story Matters
This is a story about power, proximity, and accountability inside Reno’s legal ecosystem. A sitting district court judge. A senior partner at one of the region’s most influential law firms. A younger attorney whose professional and personal life became entangled in a relationship that resulted in a judge’s resignation.
This is a case study in how professional communities amplify risk when personal relationships cross institutional boundaries. Judges and lawyers socialize, date, mentor, and work within overlapping circles. That reality demands higher standards because the consequences affect public trust in the courts and law firms.
The story raises questions that remain unanswered, and its implications will linger long after the headlines fade.