Nevada

‘Mom does what I say or Mom gets the fist,’ testifies paralyzed son at her attempted-murder trial

Kevin Cooney testified on his mother’s behalf in her Florida first-degree murder trial over the slaying of his father, when he was 11 years old. And, as an adult, he did so again on Monday, telling a Nevada jury in the attempted murder case she is now facing that Linda…

Apr 16, 2014 3:20 PM CDT

Son whose testimony helped mom beat murder charge is a witness in her new case over his own shooting

More than two decades ago, when Kevin Cooney was 11 years old, he testified on his mother’s behalf in a Florida first-degree murder trial. Linda Cooney was acquitted in the death of her husband, James Cooney, who she said she had shot in self-defense when he attacked her at home…

Apr 8, 2014 8:30 PM CDT

Bill O’Reilly calls for impeachment of judge who cut molestation sentence to a year in prison

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly on Tuesday called for impeachment of a Nevada judge who cited a clerical error and reduced a child molester’s sentence to one year in prison. The judge, Brent Adams of Washoe County, is one of the most respected legal authorities in Nevada, the Reno Gazette-Journal…

Mar 28, 2014 1:40 PM CDT

Las Vegas trial attorney’s new $18M law office is designed like a French Parliament building

More than 200 people, including the city mayor and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, were on hand Wednesday for the opening of a new law office in downtown Las Vegas. Modeled after a French Parliament building, the Robert T. Eglet Advocacy Center cost $18 million to build and features…

Mar 20, 2014 6:19 PM CDT

Shot by police in traffic stop, lawyer runs for DA; his felony trial and election are a week apart

Shot three times by Las Vegas police during a 2009 traffic stop, a Nevada lawyer filed Friday to run for election against the Clark County district attorney in charge of prosecuting a felony case that resulted from the incident. Raymond James “Jim” Duensing, who is a Libertarian, had previously run…

Mar 18, 2014 4:40 PM CDT

Ousted Las Vegas judge dies at age 56

Former Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson, who was ousted from her position after battling with staff, has died at the age of 56. Halverson, who had resumed using her maiden name, Elizabeth LaMacchia, died on March 1, the Associated Press reports, citing information from her death certificate. The wire service…

Mar 17, 2014 11:45 AM CDT

Gambler blames casino for his $500,000 loss while drunk

A California man who lost $500,000 while gambling drunk says the casino is at fault for plying him with too many drinks. Mark A. Johnston, 52, lost the money playing blackjack and pai gow during a 17-hour binge at the Downtown Grand Las Vegas Hotel and Casino over Super Bowl…

Mar 10, 2014 10:44 PM CDT

Judge appeals sanction for his relationship with prosecutor

A Las Vegas family court judge is appealing a recent ethics ruling which would suspend him without pay for three months due to his relationship with a former prosecutor in his courtroom. Judge Steven Jones is appealing the latest ruling in the legal ethics case against him to the Nevada…

Feb 13, 2014 4:40 PM CST

How to advise clients on legal-marijuana issues? Some bar associations mull ethics rule changes

Image from Shutterstock. Marijuana remains an illegal drug under federal law. But a growing number of states have moved to allow medical marijuana, or even recreational pot use and sales, some lawyers feel they are between a rock and a hard place. State and local government entities, as well as…

Feb 12, 2014 6:15 PM CST

Gambler accused of failing to pay $12.9M in markers at Nevada casinos faces felony theft case

It isn’t just in the New York gambling subculture of the 1950s portrayed by Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra in Guys and Dolls that a high-roller who doesn’t make good on his marker is viewed as having committed a serious offense. A Canadian businessman is facing a felony case in…

Feb 7, 2014 7:10 PM CST

Previously suspended after fraud indictment, judge gets 3 months without pay in separate ethics case

A Las Vegas family court judge has been suspended without pay for three months and publicly censured for violating legal ethics rules in conjunction with a romantic relationship he had with a prosecutor who appeared in his courtroom. Although not all of the ethics counts against Judge Steven Jones were…

Feb 4, 2014 6:06 PM CST

Lawyer takes plea in money-laundering case linked to convicted ex-client’s Ponzi scheme

A Las Vegas lawyer has pleaded guilty to a felony after admittedly helping a client from Montana conceal the source of $2.3 million used to purchase a company in 2007. Attorney R. Christopher Reade, 43, pleaded guilty in federal court in Las Vegas on Wednesday to being an accessory after…

Jan 24, 2014 4:54 PM CST

Suspended lawyer is accused of stealing $1M from client settlements

A suspended Nevada lawyer was criminally charged Tuesday with stealing more than $1 million from client settlements, primarily in personal injury cases. Barry Levinson faces four felony theft counts under an amended state-court complaint filed Tuesday. It says the money was taken between 2007 and 2012, the Las Vegas Review-Journal…

Jan 15, 2014 9:10 PM CST

9th Circuit OKs civil rights case over death of 2 dogs shot during execution of search warrant

A divided federal appeals court panel has reversed a summary judgment in favor of police in a civil rights case over two pet dogs shot to death during the execution of a search warrant at the plaintiff’s home in a Las Vegas suburb. Reviewing the facts alleged by Louisa Thurston…

Jan 13, 2014 11:45 PM CST

Judge violated ethics rules in relationship with prosecutor, commission rules

A suspended Nevada family court judge violated multiple legal ethics rules by having a “close social and personal relationship” with a prosecutor in his courtroom while he was still on the bench. But counts claiming that Judge Steven Jones retaliated against two deputy district attorneys who helped expose his relationship…

Dec 30, 2013 6:15 PM CST