Loser in McCarran suit ordered to pay

Bill Gang

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 1999 | 10:32 a.m.

Gary Naseef already lost his court case on his claim that he was wronged when his coffee kiosk business at McCarran International Airport was evicted.

Now that failed challenge in June is going to cost him $66,000.

District Judge Michael Cherry on Monday ordered Naseef to pay the money to Clark County as reimbursement for the cost of defending the lawsuit.

The judge, who previously had postponed a hearing on the issue when Naseef said he needed more time to file legal documents, awarded the county their legal fees when Naseef failed to show up for Monday's hearing.

Naseef's coffee kiosk business was kicked out of McCarran after it failed to win certification as a disadvantaged business enterprise.

While he sued, claiming he was mistreated by county officials and should be awarded $3 million, a jury in Cherry's courtroom decided that Naseef was the one who was wrong.

That jury, in fact, ordered Naseef's Las Vegas Gourmet Coffee Co. to pay more than $12,000 in back rent to Host Marriott, the airport's master concessionaire.

Las Vegas Gourmet Coffee operated for three years at McCarran but never received the required disadvantaged business certification because it never could be shown the business was primarily owned and completely operated by Naseef's wife, Jackie Turner, who is black.

The airport has committed 20 percent of its concession businesses to minority-owned companies.

Naseef's problems escalated when he and his wife divorced in 1997. He won possession of the coffee business but lost his chance for the certification. Attempts to bring in other minority owners never materialized although he was given several extensions to help him reach that goal.