Nevada

Las Vegas Courthouse Shooter Had Served Time for Killing His Brother

The 66-year-old man who walked into a Las Vegas courthouse and opened fire had served six years in prison for killing his brother in 1974. Johnny Lee Wicks was killed Monday in a shootout that began after he entered the federal courthouse lobby around 8 a.m., drew a shotgun he…

Jan 6, 2010 1:14 PM CST

Suspect in Courthouse Shootout Angry Over Social Security Suit, Officials Say

Although an investigation of today’s fatal shootout at a federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas is still ongoing, unidentified law enforcement officials say the suspect’s anger over losing a lawsuit about his Social Security benefits may have motivated the crime. The officials say Johnny Lee Wicks was killed in a…

Jan 4, 2010 11:48 PM CST

Court Officer, Suspect Killed in Vegas Courthouse Shootout

A shooting suspect and a 65-year-old courthouse security officer are dead after a shootout this morning at the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in downtown Las Vegas. A U.S. deputy marshal was also wounded and emerged from surgery Monday with non-life-threatening injuries, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.…

Jan 4, 2010 4:48 PM CST

Advertising with Impunity on Craigslist, Foreclosed-Home Strippers Avoid Sanctions

When a potential buyer walks into a foreclosed home, it isn’t unusual to see gaping, often jagged holes where items of value including appliances, cabinets, countertops, sinks, toilets and doors, among other items of value, used to be. And it isn’t just ordinary thieves who are doing the stripping. Soon-to-be-former…

Dec 23, 2009 6:11 PM CST

Ex-Las Vegas Judge Halverson Ordered to Pay Former Assistant $50K

The controversial former Las Vegas judge who was banned from the bench for belittling staff has been ordered to pay $50,000 to a former assistant for defaming her. The former judge, Elizabeth Halverson, did not attend the proceedings, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun report. Her former assistant,…

Dec 9, 2009 12:27 PM CST

Many More Mortgage Fraud Cases in Pipeline; ‘Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel’

Mortgage fraud prosecutions are likely to increase exponentially as federal authorities gear up nationwide to put a higher priority on such cases. In Nevada, they have some 300 cases in the pipeline, cherry-picking the most egregious, reports the Las Vegas Sun. Like complex drug cases, mortgage fraud cases can mushroom…

Nov 19, 2009 8:12 PM CST

Law Firm Sues, Wins TRO, Over State Ban on Unlicensed Legal Assistants

A law firm has won a temporary restraining order from a state court judge preventing Nevada officials from enforcing new mortgage modification rules that impact private legal practice. Although Cogburn Law Offices supports efforts to protect consumers by regulating the loan modification industry, the Nevada Department of Business and Industry’s…

Nov 16, 2009 6:48 PM CST

Police Pose as Clients, Charge Disbarred Lawyer in Office Sting

After what reportedly could be as much as a decade or more of alleged unauthorized practice in Nevada on the part of disbarred attorney Charles Radosevich, authorities have apparently mounted a full-scale campaign against him. Two Las Vegas police detectives went to the Radosevich’s office posing as potential clients on…

Nov 5, 2009 8:47 PM CST

Nevada Supremes Consider Pharmacy Liability for Painkiller Customer’s Accident

The Nevada Supreme Court is considering whether pharmacies can be held liable for a fatal car accident caused by a woman who bought almost 4,500 doses of prescription painkillers in one year, spurring a warning to the drug stores. The court heard oral arguments in March and is expected to…

Oct 28, 2009 1:38 PM CDT

Once High-Rolling Vegas Law Firms Now Watch Their Wallets

Dealing with the worst legal economy they have seen in nearly four decades of practice, senior partners at law firms in Las Vegas are cutting costs wherever they can. At Jones Vargas, that has meant partner pay cuts, rescinded job offers to a couple of incoming associates and one attorney…

Oct 27, 2009 5:58 PM CDT

Judge Who Replaced Halverson Tells Police Her Lawyer Husband Struck Her

A lawyer married to the Las Vegas judge who replaced Elizabeth Halverson has been arrested on a charge of domestic battery. Edward Miley, a lawyer who represented one of the defendants in the O.J. Simpson robbery case, was arrested Thursday evening, the Las Vegas Sun reports. His wife is Judge…

Oct 5, 2009 7:13 PM CDT

Controversial Ex-Judge Loses Libel Suit Brought By Former Assistant

In the latest blow to a controversial ex-judge who has been permanently banned from the Las Vegas bench in part because of her treatment of her staff, a former legal assistant to Elizabeth Halverson has won a libel suit that Halverson apparently made little effort to defend. District Judge David…

Sep 22, 2009 12:12 AM CDT

Fired US Attorney for Nevada Is Rehired

Fired two years ago in a political purge of federal prosecutors during the Bush administration, a former U.S. attorney for Nevada has now been rehired. President Barack Obama’s nomination of Daniel Bogden to serve again in the post was confirmed today by the U.S. Senate, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal.…

Sep 15, 2009 10:23 PM CDT

McGuireWoods Partner Nominated for US Attorney in Va.

A partner at McGuireWoods who is a lecturer at the University of Virginia law school is one of four lawyers nominated for U.S. attorney positions. Timothy Heaphy is a Richmond partner in McGuireWoods’ government investigations unit, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. He was nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Western…

Aug 4, 2009 6:03 PM CDT

Simpson & Co-Defendant Argue for Bail, Separate Trial Based on His Notoriety

In arguments today before Nevada’s top court, a lawyer for O.J. Simpson and a co-defendant rested their respective cases on a similar basis—his notoriety. Simpson isn’t a flight risk, if he is released on bail while appealing his kidnapping and robbery conviction, attorney Yale Galanter told a three-judge panel of…

Aug 3, 2009 9:41 PM CDT