LV singer sued over production costs

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2000 | 11:47 a.m.

The widow of a Las Vegas orchestra conductor and producer sued to collect $20,054 from Las Vegas singer Dennis Bono and his alleged agent, Scutter Newton & Associates, for work done to produce Bono's album "Forget To Remember" and his opening act at the Don Rickles Show at the Tropicana hotel-casino.

In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, Barbara Ellen Steffen, the wife of James G. Steffen who died in June 1999, alleged her late husband had incurred out-of-pocket expenses while "orchestrating charts" in January 1997 for musicians in Bono's opening act at the Tropicana and recording 12 tracks for Bono's album at Capitol Records in Los Angeles later that year.

The suit said Steffen, who incurred expenses including "studio time, back-up singers and buying special equipment to produce Bono's album," allegedly received only a $1,000 down payment on Sep. 9, 1997.

John Moran, Scutter Newton's attorney, declined comment on the allegations, but said: "The defendants are awaiting an amended complaint as a result of several procedural irregularities occurring within the (original) complaint."

archive