Isn't Truth a Defense to Defamation?

Attorney Preston Rezaee knows a good case when he sees it. Local club promoter Michael Minelli (warning: myspace link) ... has been wronged. He claims that Author Jay Louis (creator of this website) defamed him when he set aside a full page of his book "Hot Chicks With Douchebags" to honor Minelli.

Rezaee's complaint is a humorous read. Here's one of our favorite paragraphs:

Plaintiff has been, and continues to be the subject of ridicule in that he has been, is now, and continues to be called a Douchebag by friends, acquaintances, coworkers, employers, and strangers alike.

Maybe it's just us, but if multiple strangers are calling you a Douchebag, it seems unlikely that they all got the idea from reading some book. It could mean that it's time for an attitude adjustment.

(courthousenews.com; smoking gun)

Yes, we realize that we are late to the party on this one ... we just couldn't resist.

F'd Street

Attorney Matthew Callister has joined forces with rabble-rouser Al Sharpton in an attempt to stop the closure of F Street, the so-called "gateway" to the historically black neighborhood, due to ongoing work on the $240 million I-15 North widening project. From the RJ:

On Tuesday, residents Ora Bland and Estella Jimerson along with the local chapter of activist Al Sharpton's National Action Network filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court seeking to shut down the project until officials agree to reopen F Street.

And Callister didn't shy away from getting his sound bite in:

Attorney Matthew Callister, who is representing Bland and Jimerson on a pro bono basis, called the permanent closure of F Street "the worst incident of race-based segregation" he had seen in Las Vegas.

Wow, that is a strong statement coming from someone who could be the whitest guy in Nevada.

Don't worry, the last lawsuit that delayed a Vegas highway project (filed by the Sierra Club) only cost Nevada taxpayers an estimated $20 Million. Why should we put the convenience of millions ahead of the "history" of tens? Go get 'em, Matt.

(RJ)

Holiday Posting

We will be posting sporadically through the next couple of weeks. News is slow, and we are busy working on something we think you will like for 2009. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and keep those tips coming.

RJC: By the Numbers

We had such high hopes when voters approved the bond which built the RJC back in 1996, but it seems as if that was the last thing that went right with the project. It becomes more scary when the numbers are looked at:

Amount the RJC was supposed to cost to build: $80 Million

Actual cost to build: $185 Million

Date project was supposed to be completed: Early 2002

Actual completion date: Late 2005

Contractor: AF Construction

Perhaps even more amazing, is the fact that the County has thus far spent $22 Million in attorneys fees on this mess. 

(RJ)

Christmas Party Results

Thanks to your tips, here are the results of our 2008 Christmas party survey:

Firm	Location	Notes
Brownstein Hyatt	Wynn	Lots of booze.
Marquis & Aurbach	LV Paiute Golf Resort	Bus service for the boozers.
Kummer Kaempfer	Red Rock Casino	Booze & karaoke provided.
Santoro Driggs	Wynn	Booze provided.
Alverson Taylor	ATMS Basement	Party is at noon on Christmas Eve.
Lionel Sawyer	LV Country Club	Attendees given allotment of tickets for booze. Additional tickets available from HR director.
Lewis Brisbois	No Party	Cancelled due to "security concerns." What?
Richard Harris	5-Day Cruise for all staff & significants	We have a winner!

Booze, Booze, Booze. Looks pretty good, but what's going on over at LBBS? "Security concerns?" We hope their bonuses make up for that big "bah, humbug!" As for ATMS, we would love for some associates to report back as to how that party goes.

Update: Okay, it appears that LBBS offered a paid day off on the 26th in lieu of a Christmas party, we'll accept that. Also, if the comments are true, Richard Harris knows how to treat his staff. Well done, Dick!  

Weekend Roundup

• Law school prepares students for bar exam ... cats chase dogs, Satan buys a sweater. (In Business)
• Las Vegas woman sued for helping a "friend" escape from a burning car. (abc news)
• Quote of the week: "eBay, America's yard sale." (CNN)
• Judge Loehrer grants 'black widow' a new trial, hates men. (AP)

Another Feather in Judge Voy's Cap

http://www.lvrj.com/news/36431989.html

Where's the Party?

We are attempting to compile a list of the locations & extravagance level of local firms' Christmas functions this year and need your help. Did you get an extravagant affair catered at the Bellagio, or were you stuck meeting at Chili's for drinks after work because of "economic concerns." Let us know at nevadalegal@gmail.com or by posting in the comments. Results to be posted next week. 

You're Welcome.

Who said amnesty programs with stupid names don't work? The "Pay the Ticket, Avoid the Click-it" program just reeled in the biggest fish of all (thanks, of course, to our post).  David Drum, the man who owed $20,057 in traffic fines turned himself in on Tuesday. From the RJ:

[Drum] said he got caught up in a vicious cycle where he would get ticketed for driving on a suspended license then would lose his license. He said the violations, especially those over $1,000, add up fast. But Drum didn’t give detailed explanations on why he let his tickets lapse.

We're not so sure accumulating traffic tickets qualifies as a "vicious cycle," but whatever. Drum said he turned himself in because he just wanted to "get this past," but we all know that with the extreme notoriety he gained by being associated with WWL, it was only a matter of time. You're next, Marco Manzy!

(RJ)

Useless Meeting To Be Held Tomorrow at Boyd School of Law

Hey, remember that $700 billion dollars our representatives gave those greedy, soulless bastards banking guys? If you have absolutely nothing to do Tuesday (and we mean nothing), you may want to stop by UNLV and learn exactly how the government plans to piss away our tax dollars. The "expert" committee created by Congress to monitor the government's bailout of our nation's financial system will hold its first field hearing right here in Las Vegas (where else?). From the RJ:

In Las Vegas, the committee members will try to build a picture of how a community is being affected by financial distress, federal efforts so far to fix it, and also any repair efforts by local governments and community groups ...

Sounds riveting. Be there at 10:00AM sharp for what is sure to be a fascinating and productive afternoon.

(RJ)

Justice Court's Most Wanted

lvcourtsblog has an interesting post about the effectiveness of the traffic ticket amnesty program currently ongoing in Las Vegas Township Justice Court. The "Pay the Ticket, Avoid the Click-it" [groan] program has improved the number of people paying past due traffic tickets by 15 percent since the campaign began November 17, 2008.

The best part, however, is the listing of Ten Most Wanted Individuals with Outstanding Traffic Fines (of whom the program has yet to bring in a single one):

Name	City	Amount Owed
David Drum	Las Vegas	$20,057
Marco Manzy	Las Vegas	$18,164
Brandon Peachey	Las Vegas	$17,195
Mario Ramirez-Gomez	Las Vegas	$14,754
Lance Lauara	Las Vegas	$14,502
Jose Garcia	Las Vegas	$13,977
Lamont Pitts	Las Vegas	$13,028
Anthony Reed	Las Vegas	$12,390
Deshawn Byrd	Las Vegas	$10,938
Alan Berroteran	Las Vegas	$10,636

Wow, $20,057 in unpaid traffic tickets. Anyone think those guys in the pink building can get Dave off with no points?

(lvcourtsblog)

Mugshot Thursday

Who wouldn't trust this guy with their money? The man to the right is William Vargas. He (allegedly) bilked desperate homeowners trying to avoid foreclosure out of thousands of dollars. From LasVegasNow:

The alleged scheme involved the collection of upfront fees for the purpose of assisting the victims with avoiding foreclosure on their homes. The suspects, under the business of Federal Housing Aid, allegedly charged the victims between $899 to $1500 for foreclosure rescue services and offered a 100% money back guaranty, claiming their company would refund the money if the foreclosure could not be stopped. The state says the company did not follow up on its promises.

And you may all address your "Thank You" cards to Reno Deputy District Attorneys Roy Stralla and Zach Young for making sure you never bump into the man to the left in a dark alley. His name is Fernando Gallegos, and he was just sent to prison for the rest of his life for killing Gordon Stine by stabbing him in the neck ... and this wasn't his first brush with the law. From the RGJ:

... Deputy District Attorney Zach Young said five felony convictions, one involving an ice pick and another a stabbing with a nail, on top of Stine's murder, should be more than enough to send Gallegos to prison for the rest of his life.

Yeah, that should do it. Five felonies and a stabbing fetish places you squarely in the realm or "unproductive member of society."

(LasVegasNow; RGJ)

O.J. Sentencing! Part Deux

Assuring that Yale and Gabe have something to argue in their Supreme Court brief, Judge Jackie Glass sentenced the four thugs who assisted Simpson & Stewart in the September 2007 robbery to probation yesterday. 

Charles Ehrlich, Charles Cashmore, Michael McClinton and Walter Alexander each pleaded guilty to reduced charges and testified for the prosecution at trial. All received suspended prison sentences and probation for their roles in the Palace Station robbery. McClinton & Alexander were the two (alleged?) gunmen. From the RJ:

When Glass announced she would give McClinton probation, victim Bruce Fromong shouted, “You’ve got to be joking me,” from the courtroom gallery. Court marshals immediately banished him from the courtroom and escorted him from the Regional Justice Center.

We were hoping for Judge Glass to pull a rope-a-dope and sentence these guys to some prison time as well, but we wouldn't dare risk "banishment" to voice our opinion. Good for you, Bruce.

(RJ)

Care to let it ride, Mr. Suen?

Here's a shocker: District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt denied two motions brought by the Las Vegas Sands attempting to get a do-over on that $58.6 million judgment that a Clark County jury awarded Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen following a six-week civil trial (WWL previously reported on this case here and here).

Even Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson couldn't make it through the hearing. According to the RJ, Adelson only watched about an hour of arguments from Sands' attorney [the unfortunately named] Rusty Hardin before leaving the courtroom. That's right, the client left after hour one ... of the four-hour argument.

Oh, but Rusty isn't about to let it end there, not while he's billing by the hour. He will be appealing the case to the Supremes (of course). Go get em' Rusty!

(RJ)

Website Hall of Shame

Welcome to a new feature here on WWL, where we highlight the shady underbelly of local law firms' attempts at internet advertising. We begin our journey with yet another Nevada legal "blog."

NV-Attorney Blog purports to be your source for "Las Vegas and Reno Injury and Accident News & How to Hire an Attorney in the State of Nevada." Strangely, however, every post ends with a link directing the reader to contact Benson & Bingham.

Far be it from us to point out editorial bias on the part of another "blog," but there are some posts on that site that make us think the authors may not be conveying "Injury and Accident News" as much as they are "Chasing Ambulances." A sample post from the blog:

ATTENTION ALL UNLV COLLEGE STUDENTS!

Beware of those jet setting taxi cab vehicles plowing out of the airport, and heading in the direction of the University. Imagine that you are on your way to class, with a much needed triple shot venti vanilla latte from your favorite coffee house… BAM! You are suddenly and violently struck, t-boned, rear-ended, or involved in a head-on collision with one of those mach 5 commercial vehicles. With significant injuries, you will need quality representation. Call Benson & Bingham.

Now that's quality legal news! Stay classy, B&B.

Do you have a possible law firm nominee with a less-than-stellar website? Post in the comments or send us a line at nevadalegal@gmail.com.

Weekend Roundup

• Mr. Wonderful got himself another article in the paper. (RJ)
  
• The State Board of Medical Examiners has filed a Complaint against a third doctor who worked in the practice of Dr. "Needles" Desai. (KTNV)
  
• The charges against 'Suge' Knight have been dropped. (LA Times)
• Two men are suing the Sands because the economy sucks. (RJ)

O.J. CliffsNotes

For those of you unable to watch or attend, here is a quick recap of today's O.J. Sentencing:

David Roger: Argued his case, sat down.

Gabriel Grasso: Said something about the civil war. Is possibly retarded.

Yale Galanter: Called his client "stupid." A lot.

O.J. Simpson: Spoke, but did not admit to the 1994 murders.

Brent Bryson: Handed his time over to Charles D. Jones (wisely).

Charles D. Jones: Did his best Johnnie Cochran impersonation. Continually referred to David Roger as "Mister Rogers."

C.J. Stewart: Made a valiant attempt to read his statement. Failed.

Judge Jackie Glass: Cool as a cucumber, very articulate & reasoned. Did not appear to let the hype affect her judgement (unfortunately). Good on ya, Judge. Update: Transcript of Glass' comments.

The Sentence: Will take a while to figure out. What we do know is that it is more than 5 years, but less than 21. Some reports have the minimum at 9, some have it at 15, some say it's 18. Whatever. He's going away for a while.

He will apparently be in solitary confinement for the entire time. So whatever the sentence, it is sure to feel like double.

Lt. Gov. Krolicki [finally] Indicted

They have been talking about it for weeks, but it looks like Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki was finally indicted yesterday. From the RJ:

A Clark County grand jury returned the indictment against Krolicki and his chief of staff, Kathy Besser, [yesterday] morning. Krolicki is charged with two counts of misappropriation and falsification of accounts by a public officer and two counts of misappropriation by a treasurer.

This probe couldn't have anything to do with Krolicki's decision to run for U.S. Senate against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, could it? Noooo, not in this state, never!

(RJ; Photo (unfortunately) courtesy of LV Gleaner)

Update: Link to the Indictment on Las Vegas Now. Thanks, Anonymous.

Place your bets ...

Reports say that prosecutors are recommending 18 years for O.J. Simpson and co-defendant C.J. Stewart. With the December 5th sentencing date fast approaching, we thought it would be a good time to poll our audience regarding whether you think Judge Glass will be in a head-spinning, fire-breathing mood Friday morning.

So, fellow commenters, how much time do you think O.J. will get?

(AP)

Update: It looks like the defense will be arguing for 6 years ... if that changes any of your opinions. Grasso & Galanter did such a bang-up job at trial, how could they lose here?

Easy Come, Easy Go

Las Vegas attorney Mark Lobello (no, not that LoBello) was sentenced yesterday to serve 15 months in federal prison for tax evasion. From the Sun:

Between the years 1997 and 2001, Lobello earned more than $600,000 in income, but did not file federal income tax returns nor pay any federal income taxes for the those years, even though he owed the IRS more than $140,000 ...

Wait, there's more:

Lobello also attempted to conceal his income from the IRS by dealing in cash; mixing business funds with personal funds; using multiple taxpayer identification numbers; holding assets in the names of nominees; filing frivolous motions to quash IRS requests for his records; and demanding that clients withdraw IRS paperwork indicating he had earned taxable income ...

Don't worry, Mark, we hear the tax system is much easier in prison. Just make sure you bring lots of cigarettes.

(LV Sun)

Res ipsa loquitur

Attorney Robert J. Kossack set up a website for his client Chrissy Mazzoe ... and it is awesome. You may remember Ms. Mazzeo as the woman who accused Governor Jim Gibbons of assaulting her in a McCormick & Schmick's parking garage (more here and here).

If you would like to donate to her cause, Ms. Mazzeo accepts PayPal (via her site) or $1 bills (via her g-string).

Update: Be sure to check out the Plaintiff's Exhibit Gallery while you are at the site. That's some great lawyering, Bob. Thanks for the tip, CC.

(RJ; vindicatemazzeo.com; Photo courtesy votegibbonsout)

[Long] Weekend Roundup

Yeah, we took Friday off ... so sue us.[1] Here are some of the more interesting stories we missed:

• Another Nevada Judge's boy got himself in some hot water. (RJ)
• Pretty sure we are (a couple years) late on this, but who doesn't like videos of drunk Las Vegas Attorneys? (Jonathan Turley; YouTube)
• Congratulations IPEX class action members, you have just made your attorneys very rich. Your $5 coupons will soon be in the mail. (RJ)
• Good news? Minors can now "plead the Fifth" in juvenile court. (RJ)

[1] Please don't.

Magic Number. Update?

Update: Now with updated 2008 Hale Lane, Payne & Fears, Snell & Wilmer (for 1st yrs and after), KKBRF, Alverson Taylor, Hutchinson & Steffen, Boies Schiller, DLA Piper, Downey Brand, Duane Morris, McCormick Barstow numbers.

2008 salary and billable number updates noted with a *. [disclaimer: these numbers are the most recent available from tips and websites]

[If you don't know about the magic number, learn more here.]

So, here, ranked in order by highest (or best) magical number are the Vegas firms (did I miss something or someone, let me know at nevadalegal@gmail.com):

Name $ per billable (Salary/Min Billable)
Watt, Tieder 73 ($145,000/2000 billables)
DLA Piper 72.5 ($145,000/2000 billables)
Duane Morris 69 ($135,000/1950 billables)
Ballard Spahr 68 ($133,000/1950 billables)
Fox Rothschild 68 ($125,000/1850 billables)*
Snell & Wilmer [1] 67 ($120,000/1800 billables)* -- [only 1800 billables for 1st yr]
Fennemore Craig 65 ($125,000/1925 billables)
Payne & Fears 64 ($125,000/1950 billables)*
Lewis & Roca 63 ($120,000/1900 billables)*
Hale Lane 63 ($120,000/1900 billables)* -- [incl. 100 required pro bono hrs--67 if excl. pro bono]
Lionel Sawyer 61 ($110,000/1800 billables)
Snell & Wilmer [2] 60 ($120,000/2000 billables)* -- [2000 billables after 1st yr]

Greenberg Traurig 59 ($112,000/1900 billables)*
Jennings, Strouss 58 ($110,000/1900 billables)
Bullivant Hauser 57 ($105,000/1850 billables)*
Downey Brand 57 ($100,000/1750 billables)
Brownstein Hyatt 56 ($110,000/1950 billables)
Jones Vargas 55 ($102,000/1850 billables)*
Fisher & Phillips 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
McDonald Carano Wilson 54 ($100,000/1850 billables)
Santoro, Driggs 53 ($95,000/1800 billables)*
Gordon & Silver 53 ($95,000/1800 billables)
Kummer Kaempfer 53 ($100,000/1900 billables)*
Morris Pickering 51 ($95,000/1850 billables)
Marquis & Aurbach 50 ($100,000/2000 billables)
McCormick Barstow 46 ($80,000/1750)
Hutchison & Steffen 45 ($86,000/1900 billables)
Lewis Brisbois 43 ($84,000/1950 billables)
Alverson, Taylor 43 ($78,800/1840 billables)*
Thorndal, Armstrong 31 ($68,000/2160 billables)

Other--not enough info for magic number (any tips would be appreciated so we can clear this up)

Boies Schiller ($168,000/???? billables)
Jolley Urga 50 ($92,000/ avg of 1850 billables--no minimum listed)
Gordon & Rees ($????/1850 billables)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stop reading legal blogs and go spend time with your families! 

Okay, just one story.

An ex-felon in possession of a firearm is not inherently dangerous. Wait, what?

The Nevada Supreme Court recently handed down an unpublished opinion wherein it ruled that an "ex-felon in possession of a firearm" charge could not be used as the predicate felony for purposes of a felony murder conviction. From the opinion:

"We agree with the district court that, when viewed in the
abstract, 'ex-felon in possession of a firearm' is not inherently dangerous."

So, there you have it, you may now stop worrying about felons with firearms. The opinion is unpublished and can't be used as precedent under SCR 123.

(Harmful Error; State v. Spina)

Don't Tase Me, Sir!

Two Las Vegas police officers are suing Taser International, Inc. (makers of the YouTube sensation) after reportedly being seriously hurt during mandatory Taser training. As part of their training, the officers were tased so that they could "truly understand the weapon." Police detective Marcus Martin, the department's lead Taser instructor, had this to say when asked why the "hands on" training was subsequently stopped: 

"I have to tell you that I have a different understanding of that weapon than folks that have never been Tased, but as training went on what started occurring is we started having officers getting hurt. So it was a policy decision that was made at the higher levels of the agency as to should we allow folks to be Tased and get hurt. It's a cost-benefit analysis.''

Costs: a little pain, the occasional lawsuit. Benefits: truly understanding the weapon, hilarity. We demand a recount! 

(KTAR; LV Sun Thanks, Anonymous)

Question of the day ...

Previously on WWL we posted about a rumored merger between IP pimp Greenberg Traurig and Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw & Ferrario. After the post, nothing.

The rumor appeared to be confirmed by the reportedly large number of KKBRF associates present at a September 2nd GT open house, but there has yet to be an announcement. So, what's going on? Is GT getting cold feet? Has the free-falling economy put talks on hold? Both KKBRF and GT associates appear to be in the dark, anyone care to shed a little light here?

Slipped through the cracks ...

To whet your weekend appetites, here are some of the notable stories that we didn't get around to posting about last week:

• Local windbag to voters: You are all idiots who can't be trusted. (LV Sun)
  
• Red stripper, blue stripper. Old stripper, sue stripper. (Posted Toronto)
  
• They got suspicious when the breakfast burritos started tasting a little too good. (RGJ)
• Another doctor punished for cutting corners to save money. (LV Sun)
• A Las Vegas Mormon who was excommunicated over publishing shirtless photos of return missionaries wants his BYU diploma. (Salt Lake Tribune)

About those Judicial Elections ...

We previously posted about the Clark County election results, but neglected to comment about what may be the biggest upset to come out of this election: Judge Jessie Walsh remains on the bench.

Now, let's not get off on a Halverson rant here, Judge Walsh is not (and will never be) as bad as "the great one." However, the fact remains that Judge Walsh was the only judge to score below a 50% retention rating in the Judging the Judges poll (available here as a PDF) and survive the election.

(To be fair, Judge The Hut was, shall we say, indisposed, and Judge Gates didn't bother to run.)

However, common wisdom seems to be that the Judging the Judges poll is what governs the general public's opinion of our judiciary. With no party affiliation listed on the ballot, how else is the general public deciding whether to retain (or replace) these individuals? How is it that an incumbent Judge so poorly rated as Walsh is able to maintain her seat on the bench? Is it because it was easier to draw a mustache and horns on Bill Kephart's signs? Here's a theory:

Anything the public heard concerning judges this election year was focused on one person: Liz Halverson. The bar for judicial ineptness has officially been raised. Short of being an absolute unbearable tyrant in the courtroom, the public now thinks: "Meh, how bad can she be? At least she's not like that fat lady."

All the incumbent judges who retained their seats in this election should send Halverson a big box of Krispy Kremes in gratitude. Without her, the public may have been a bit more critical of our currently-seated judicial jockeys. Or, maybe, Walsh just isn't that bad of a Judge. We're interested to hear your take on what happened, sound off in the comments.

In re Mosley

If you are not yet familiar with the recent incident involving District Court Judge Donald Mosley's son, Michael Mosley, you can catch up here. For those of you who came to class prepared today, let's begin.

Our hearts go out to the family of the young teen, Olivia Hyten, who lost her life in the crash. This was truly a tragic event. It is also unfortunate that Michael, with a pending reckless driving case already in the system at the time of the accident and an otherwise questionable driving record, was still able to be in a vehicle at all (albeit he apparently was not the driver). 

However, the real story here appears to be that Family Court Judge William Voy conceals a huge set of brass balls under his robe. From the Review Journal:

Donald Mosley asked Voy to release his son.

"I can assure you he will not drive any vehicle until the court otherwise makes a determination," he said in his gravelly voice. "Additionally, there will be no drinking, and I would intend to monitor that strictly."

He also wanted his son to return to school so he wouldn't fall behind, he said.

The teen's mother, Terry Mosley, accused the judge of violating a court order to share custody of their son. She also said Donald Mosley left their son home alone for a week while he went on a hunting trip.

"There's a whole different set of rules in my house than there are in Judge Mosley's house," she said.

Donald Mosley defended himself, saying he went to Tulsa, Okla., for a week to settle his father's estate. He said he asked Terry Mosley to care for their son, but she refused, and "this is the result."

The parents have been involved in a long and bitter custody battle over their son.

Voy put a quick end to the back and forth.

"This is not about you all. It's about this young man right here," he said.

He ordered Michael Mosley to remain at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center until at least next week, when prosecutors were expected to file formal charges. Voy cited the violation of the driving restrictions in making his decision.

As the kids say: Oh, snap! 

Good for you, Judge Voy. It's nice to see a judge going against the perceived "good ole' boys network" mentality. You take that high-and-mighty District Court judge and send him right back where he came from. This is your house! Just make sure you manage to stay out of trouble, we would hate to see the tables get turned on you. 

Fun With The Boyd InfoServe

From time to time we here at Wild Wild Law receive tips from current law students attending everyone's favorite second-tier punching bag, our own Boyd School of Law. The majority of these tips refer to postings on the school's InfoServe, an inter-school email system that can be posted to by any student or faculty member, and is subsequently forwarded to ALL students and faculty.

We begin this series with the sad, sad tale of a law student whom, despite apparently making it through his 1L year, still failed to "get it." From the aforementioned InfoServe:

Hello students,

I am a 2L and want to purchase or trade for outlines in the following classes:

Professor Lazos' Constitutional Law II

Professor Grant's Real Estate Finance Law

Professor Gordon's Employment Law

Like you, I am about to finish my outlines for the semester. However,
due to a less-than-desirable GPA last year, I want to augment my
chances of higher grades by studying others' outlines for a different
perspective on the material. I am offering $50 cash for an outline in
any of these classes. Alternatively, if you want to trade outlines
(including my Anderson's Bus Orgs outline), we can just do a
one-to-one trade if we each find the other's outline sufficiently
comprehensive.

Outlines must be completed and ready for trade in person on campus (or
another mutually-agreeable location) by 1:00PM (PST) on Wednesday,
November 26th. I reserve the right to view the entire outline(s)
and/or compare to the syllabus to ensure comprehensiveness for up to 5
minutes before I decide whether to finalize the purchase. Payment
will be made in cash immediately after the complete outline(s) is/are
successfully sent as an attachment to my email address and opened by
me to ensure the correct document was received. If I do not make
payment at such time, you have the right to assault me until I pay.
That is, of course, a joke, as such a right is precluded by public
policy, regardless of consent. If interested, please email me the
following:

1. Subject line: "Outline for [class and teacher]",

2. The first page of the outline's content,

3. A word count for the document, and if it is not complete, an
estimate of how complete it is,

4. The date the outline will be finished (if not complete already),

5. Whether you are taking the class this semester or took it
previously (in such case, include what textbook(s) was/were used), and

6. Whether you prefer cash or a trade.

I have no qualms about paying a single person $150 for the three
outlines if each is thorough and comprehensive. I prefer Word
documents. I highly prefer outlines from this semester but may
consider previous semester outlines.

Finally, at your option, I am willing to sign a contract, created by
you (but perhaps blue-pencilled by me), stating this is a single user
license and may not be used commercially or for purposes other than my
own personal (1) exam preparation and use during the exam (if
permitted), (2) bar preparation, and (3) general knowledge.

Thank you, and good luck with your exams.

[name redacted]

I appreciate the generous souls who offer their outlines for free, but
I prefer to compensate you for them. If you don't hear from me, thank
you for interest but I have chosen another outline. By making me an
offer, you certify you are the owner and creator of the outline(s) and
have the right to sell or license it/them. Furthermore, you certify
the finished outline is complete and comprehensive to the best of your
knowledge, and covers all materials covered this semester in and out
of class, as well as all materials you have reason to know should be
tested on the exam, for the corresponding class.

Well, he certainly was detailed and thorough, two attributes that should one day make him very attractive as a faceless document review monkey at an insurance defense firm junior associate. Perhaps some of our more experienced readers can offer this young whipper-snapper a little advice in the comments. Good luck to you, my friend, good luck.

Thanks to DS for the tip!

Meet the new boss ...

Hello, fellow law gossip-hounds (and mid-level associates running short on billable work), meet your new leader: me.

I am looking forward to embarking on this journey to the depths of legal society with all of you, and look forward to reading your biting wit and relevant social analysis in the comments.

As for my credentials, well, I am either a snot-nosed 2L at a local law school, or a senior partner at a large local firm who has grown tired of watching the practice of law deform into a billable-hour chasing mess. Either way, I am a Las Vegas native, I am filled with angst and I think I know everything there is to know about the practice of law. Does it really matter who I am for our purposes? You may call me Joe, Joe Law.

As for the old boss, Legal Eagle has graciously offered to stay on and post occasionally, but as for the day-to-day activities of this blog, they are now under my control. Muahahah! I would like to thank LE for the hard work she has put into making this blog a great place to read about our local legal shenanigans. In addition to LE, we will be adding a few guest posters who shall reveal themselves when the time is right.

Our focus is now on churning out at least one post per day, so keep checking back and we will do our best to keep you entertained, or at a minimum, amused. Guaranteed, or your money back.

Welcome to the new Wild Wild Law ... same as the old Wild Wild Law.

Of Course She is

Judge Halverson is appealing her permanent removal from the bench (decision removing her available here).

The RJ reports:

Former District Judge Elizabeth Halverson will appeal the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission's decision to permanently remove her from the bench, her attorney said today. Attorney Michael Schwartz said he will file the appeal within 15 days.

He said Halverson wasn't surprised when she learned Monday that the commission would remove her from the bench.

I was surprised anyone would ever try to move Halverson anywhere.  Seems physically impossible.

Justice of the Peace going down

With Judge Halverson permanently gone, there's a lack of complete and total embarrassment in the Nevada Judiciary. That is, until yesterday.

The RJ reports:

"Sue Abbatangelo, the wife of Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo, accused her husband of grabbing her by the neck, choking her and screaming at her during a fight at the couple's home Wednesday.

She further accused the judge of physically abusing her over a two-year period."

As if the news story wasn't bad enough for the judge, it turns out that his wife is the sister of District Judge Michelle Leavitt and attorney Andrew Leavitt. We've written before about the wrath of the Leavitts when you go against the family (post available here). If I were Justice of the Peace Abbatangelo, I'd be praying to be locked up.

Robbers and Murderers are soooo hot

Damn it.  The secret's out.  The best place to meet men in Vegas is actually the District Courthouse.

The RJ reports:

A juror in a recent Las Vegas murder case sent one defendant sexually explicit letters and visited him at the county jail.

As the juror sees it, she did nothing wrong. But the defendant's attorney says he now has possible grounds for a mistrial.

The juror, 21-year-old Marnie Ramirez, sent the flirtatious letters to Ricky Vazquez, convicted in October of second-degree murder for a 2006 slaying.

What does a love letter to an [alleged] murderer and robber sound like:

I'm pretty straightforward so when I feel the need for sex I just get it and I always get what I want! Ricky, I don't think you'll have to work hard to get me to fall, I fall for guys quite easily which I totally hate! I'm just weak like that and I'll give you a 'hint' if you really want to get me, smile and I'm all yours! 

See boys?  Stop wasting all that money you spend on bottle service in the clubs and go kill someone.  That's the easiest way to get laid.

Editor/Replacement Wanted for Wild Wild Law

Wild Wild Law is currently looking for a new Editor to run the show.  Interested in providing hungry attorneys and law students with the gossipy, bitchy legal news diet they crave?  Please contact us at nevadalegal@gmail.com

So long, so long

I said, so long, it's been good to know ya Judge Halverson [but not really]

The RJ reports:

The Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission has removed suspended District Judge Elizabeth Halverson from the bench and prohibited her from ever serving as a judge in the state again.

In a strongly worded decision released today, the commission stated that her "antics and willful misconduct will be felt by the judicial system for a significant future period of time." 

In its decision, the commission stated that Halverson made significant legal errors while conducting her first jury trials that resulted in "significant costs to taxpayers" because her mistakes will likely result in at least one new trial.

The commission ruled that Halverson fell asleep on the bench, improperly communicated with jurors, mistreated staff and made false statements to the commission.

It also accused Halverson of refusing to cooperate with the Judicial Discipline Commission and demeaning the August hearings.

My office is currently having a debate.  The topic: who's been more embarrassing for Nevada,  Judge Halverson or Governor Gibbons?  Discuss amongst yourselves. 

Back by popular request: Salary info

Hi all, we've gotten a few requests to update our chart of salaries in Nevada (and the magic number of salary amount per billable hour).

As usual, we'll need some tips to make sure we've got accurate information.  So please send in information about the first year salaries and billable requirements for firms in Nevada.  You can leave the information as a comment on this post or email it to nevadalegal@gmail.com.

Results will be up next week. 

Nevada doctors sure know how to make lawyers feel better about themselves

Thanks to another Nevada doctor, another Vegas Plaintiff's attorney is putting on the white hat and riding to the rescue.  

The RJ reports: 

A Las Vegas eye doctor who has been sued for medical malpractice at least 17 times during his career is the target of a new class-action lawsuit filed by four Las Vegas Valley residents.

The patients claim Dr. Vikas Jain and his wife, Dr. Anamika Jain, advertised a flat rate for laser vision corrective surgery to be done with state-of-the-art equipment by a board certified ophthalmologist. But according to the lawsuit filed by attorney Barry Levinson, Jain's practice offered none of those services.

"The surgery was not state-of-the-art, did not use the most advanced equipment and all care was not provided by board certified ophthalmologists," states the lawsuit, which was filed Monday. . . .

Now, we here at the blog don't know much about Barry Levinson, other than what we found on his website (available here).  But attempting to put un-certified medical workers out of business sounds like good work.  Oh, did I not detail the history of the medical villain of this story?  Here's his background:

Dr. Vikas Jain, also known as Ken Johnson, lost his medical license in Ohio in 2005, then moved to Nevada and used his wife's medical license to open the Valley Eye Center on Tenaya Way the next year.

Vikas Jain is not licensed to practice medicine in Nevada. . . . Jain, who has been licensed in six other states, was the subject of a 2001 "ABC News Primetime" special on negligent eye care.  Jain was the first Ohio eye surgeon to be punished by the State Medical Board of Ohio, whose members hoped they could prevent him from practicing in another location. . . .

More than 20 patients suffered "substantial harm," and Jain's peers deemed him to be unqualified to perform refractive surgery, according to a report by the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners, which is also investigating Valley Eye Center.

Thank God for doctors in Nevada.  They make even the worst attorneys look like princes [or in honor of the civil rights debate in the comments section, we'll add that they make attorneys look like princesses]. 

Strip Club Wars lead to lawsuit

Vegas does bring the drama to the courtroom.  This time, it involves everyone's favorite Vegas residents: strippers!

The RJ reports:

. . . attorney Neil Beller, on behalf of club owner and porn king Harry Mohney, filed a lawsuit in District Court alleging a string of [strip club] rivals have conspired with cabdrivers to divert customers from the Little Darlings and Déjá vu Showgirls . . . 

In addition to tipping drivers for delivering customers, some savvy club operators have taken to giving drivers free-drink coupons as deal sweeteners for passengers. Other drivers have worked deals with club managers to charge customers less at the door in order to close a deal, adult industry sources say. . . 

Customers were being encouraged by cabdrivers to go elsewhere.  "Nobody goes there," one driver said. The dancers were "old hogs" and "chicks with bullet wounds."  Another driver told the undercover investigator that Little Darlings was "a dump." "You'll have a much better time (at Treasures)." And "Treasures and Sheri's are much higher-class joints."

In all, a dozen topless clubs are named as defendants in the civil complaint, which alleges intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, negligent interference, negligence and conspiracy, and seeks injunctive relief. Beller added a twist to his legal strategy when he filed a voluminous complaint with the state Taxicab Authority against 11 local cab companies, alleging a general conspiracy among the drivers to divert customers from Déjá vu Showgirls and Little Darlings. That complaint asserts the taxicab companies "are liable for the actions of its agents and employees."

Sounds like a fun case for Mr. Beller, especially if he gets to have client meetings during happy hour at the strip club.

Class Action Denied

The attempt by Plaintiff's attorneys to bring a class action on behalf of Endoscopy Center patients who did not contract HIV or Hep-C from the clinic, but allegedly suffered anxiety waiting to find out, has failed.  

Judge Earl denied class status to the claimants.

Las Vegas now reports:

Attorney Robert Cottle [the pretty boy pictured to the right] has more than 4,500 patients who tested negative, "To not have class status granted, it is very difficult. Especially for a lot of my clients who are elderly, 50 or older, because that's the kind of people who went to the clinics for those procedures. So they are very worried they will never see any justice." . . .

"Now they have just put a big roadblock in their way and they don't know what they are going to do," said Cottle.

All hope is not lost. Patients have until February of 2009 to file their own lawsuit, but attorneys say a patient's litigation costs might be more expensive than what they could win in a lawsuit, making it risky to even try.

Cottle says a class action lawsuit was supposed to make it economically feasible for everyone. Now it's every patient for themselves.

At this point, these people just look screwed.  Breathe easier Dr. Needles Desai.  Your money is protected for another day.

Tuesday Roundup

Is there a legal specialty to be had in suing condo-hotels?  Gerard & Associates is apparently building one, handling lawsuits filed against the MGM Grand hotel-condo and Trump International Hotel & Tower.  (LV Business Press)

Congratulations to Valerie Del Grosso, who was hired as an Associate by Kummer Kaempfer after passing the 2008 Nevada Bar exam.  (KKBRF blog)

Meanwhile, In Business Las Vegas has a profile of Ellen Schulhofer is the managing shareholder for the Las Vegas office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. (In Business Las Vegas)

Monday Roundup

If you're "urban" [re: African-American, Latino, Asian], Harrah's is willing to overcharge you for drinks, admission and ambiance at Poetry nightclub, but just isn't comfortable with you walking through its expensive mall at Caesars [allegedly] (Marketwatch)

Seriously, Judge Assad?!?  The Nevada Supreme Court already reversed your censure from when you had a woman handcuffed and jailed for just over two hours to assure her boyfriend appeared in court on traffic charges.  Did you really need to appeal the requirement that you apologize  (RJ)  [whoops Todd Phillips, maybe Judge Assad (pictured right) is the state's biggest asshole]

Love gambling, but you're frustrated that there just aren't enough teenage girls around while you do it?  You may soon be in luck in Nevada.  (Scripps News)

Nevada's biggest a**hole

Everyone meet Todd Phillips.  We've briefly profiled his efforts to protect the rights of men against sexual discrimination before (post available here).  Well, congratulations, to Mr. Phillips.  The Nevada Equal Rights Commission officially made him the state's biggest asshole on Friday.

KTNV reports:

Phillips claimed sexual discrimination against the Las Vegas Athletic Club for letting women enroll for free during certain promotions while men paid $10.

"It is discrimination and they are breaking the law," says Todd Phillips.

LVAC claimed it was trying to be more inviting to women. . . .

The Commission decided in a 3-to-1 vote that the gym's promotional practices discriminate.

"I am tickled to death we prevailed today it's a tremendous victory for Nevada Civil Rights," Says Todd Phillips. 

Phillips claims he went after the LVAC because he was a member there and personally suffered discrimination.

Seriously Todd?  You fought about this at the gym?  Given the amount of men who seem to enjoy watching me and the other ladies work out, you'd think Todd would be all about getting more women in the club.

LV Sun is reporting this could affect free admission at clubs for women too.  (LV Sun)  In other words, when you boys get tired of the sausage fests when you go out, you can blame Todd Phillips, civil rights crusader!