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)