Commissioner drops lawsuit in light of grand jury probe

Thursday, April 6, 2000 | 12:37 p.m.

Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone has dropped a lawsuit seeking the identity of the author of a caustic political mailer, leaving the issue to be resolved by a federal grand jury.

The mailer contains a caricature of Malone, pockets stuffed with cash, and the words "You Just Can't Trust Lance Malone."

Passkey Systems, a direct mail company, has been issued a subpoena to produce all its records related to the mass mailing.

Malone withdrew his lawsuit a day after the grand jury subpoenaed Passkey records that could show who paid for the mailing in Malone's district.

Gary Peck, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said Malone appears to be exploiting the grand jury's wide powers, an allegation Malone's attorney denied.

Attorney Don Campbell said Malone withdrew the lawsuit so that the criminal investigation could proceed without the potential complications of a parallel civil inquiry.

Malone faces re-election in November. He has taken political heat for his vote on a neighborhood casino in southwest Las Vegas.

After promising to vote against the project, Malone provided the swing vote for the casino in the 3-2 decision Jan. 19. That angered neighborhood groups and executives with Station Casinos, the corporation that lobbied heavily against the project.

The commission vote was reversed by the review panel of the state Gaming Policy Committee last month. Boyd Gaming and Triple Five Nevada, the corporations that own the casino property and surrounding land, plan to appeal the committee's decision in court.

The Clark County Commission on Wednesday approved a Malone-sponsored moratorium on applications for new neighborhood casinos while it considers more stringent restrictions on such businesses.