This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lisa Steed's first effort to appeal her firing from the Utah Highway Patrol has been denied, her attorney said.
Steed, a corporal in UHP, can still appeal her termination with a state board. After that, she could file a lawsuit to get her job back.
Steed's lawyer, Greg Skordas, confirmed the developments Wednesday in a text message.
"We were given 20 days to file an appeal," Skordas wrote. "I have advised her to do so and she is willing to follow that advice."
Steed was removed from policing duties in April after judges in Salt Lake County and Davis counties found Steed lied on the witness stand. Then in October, The Tribune reported on a 2010 memo written by Steed's then-sergeant saying Steed was falsifying arrest reports. UHP Maj. Mike Rapich later said Steed was not disciplined for issues raised in the memo, but UHP did address the matter. Rapich did not say how.
UHP fired Steed in a Nov. 1 letter. As a state employee, she is entitled to appeal her termination. Her first opportunity to do so was a Nov. 15 meeting with Lance Davenport, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. Davenport denied the appeal in a Nov. 27 letter, Skordas said.
Skordas has described Steed's transgressions as minor and said she deserves to remain employed by the state.
Meanwhile, Ogden attorney Michael Studebaker has been collecting clients who want to sue UHP for what they say were unlawful arrests by Steed that lead to convictions. Studebaker filed court papers this week for at least four clients who want their conviction for drunk driving-related offenses vacated. Studebaker said the convictions will need to be vacated before lawsuits can be filed.
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