LV Business Press wins court libel battle

Bob Shemeligian

Thursday, April 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The headline on the July 3, 1995, story in the Las Vegas Business Press profiling a local businessman was: "The Steve Rebeil Strategy: 'We Stick Up for Our Rights.'"

But on Wednesday, it was the author of the story, Paula Yakubic, sticking up for her First Amendment rights in District Court.

Yakubic and the newspaper won -- turning back a $70 million suit filed by Rebeil, 34, against Yakubic, former Managing Editor Aaron Cohen and the Business Press following publication of the story, which detailed various lawsuits, liens and subcontracting complaints filed against Rebeil.

Judge Stephen Huffaker granted a motion for summary judgment, which had been filed by Yakubic's attorneys, Terry Coffing of Las Vegas and Charles Brown of Lewiston, Idaho.

Rebeil, formerly a partner in R&R Landscaping and currently a partner in Gem Homes and Gem Gaming, alleged that Yakubic's story defamed him and was malicious.

But Huffaker ruled that the article was "substantially true" and that because Rebeil is a "limited purpose public figure," he would have to prove that the article was written with "reckless disregard for the truth" for the suit to have any validity.

"I feel vindicated," Yakubic said after the court hearing. "I've stood by my story for more than two years."

Brown, an attorney who specializes in First Amendment cases, said, "This is a big victory for Paula and the newspaper. The First Amendment is alive and well in the nation."

Rebeil's attorney, Nicholas Santoro, couldn't be reached for comment following the hearing.

In an unrelated matter, the Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday launched a criminal investigation into Rebeil and his company, Gem Gaming, which was one of the original developers of the still-unfinished Reserve hotel-casino in Henderson.