Attorney says Cash will testify during Iverson civil trial

Monday, Aug. 28, 2000 | 4:11 a.m.

A civil lawsuit filed by the father of a young girl raped and killed in a casino restroom is scheduled for trial in October, and an eyewitness could be among those testifying.

David Cash was not charged in the May 1997 slaying for which his friend Jeremy Strohmeyer is serving four life terms in prison.

Cash indicated in April that he would not attend the proceedings before District Judge Mark Gibbons. However, Cash since has said he will be present, according to Las Vegas attorney David Phillips, who represents the family of Sherrice Iverson.

Strohmeyer, now 21, was convicted of raping and killing 7-year-old Sherrice in a restroom at the Primm Valley hotel-casino, formerly the Primadonna resort. Cash admitted to police that he witnessed the initial moments of the attack but left the restroom and did not notify authorities.

Cash, now 21, was not charged, because prosecutors said he violated no law. The Nevada Legislature subsequently enacted a law requiring people to notify police if they see violent acts being committed against a child.

Yolanda Manuel and Leroy Iverson, the parents of Sherrice, filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against Primadonna Resorts.

Manuel settled for an undisclosed amount earlier this year. The lawsuit filed by Leroy Iverson, who died in July, and his son Harold Iverson is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 2.

Judge Gibbons already has ruled that Cash is in default because he failed to respond properly to the lawsuit.

Primadonna contends Cash and Strohmeyer should be held liable for any damages levied against the resort 45 miles south of Las Vegas.

In April, Cash wrote that he could not afford to hire a lawyer or come to Las Vegas for the civil trial. He said he was relying upon student loans to attend college and he received limited aid from his parents.