Lawsuit against NLV police settled

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, June 8, 2000 | 12:02 p.m.

Three North Las Vegas residents will receive $50,000 to settle a 4-year-old claim that officers used excessive force and falsely arrested them.

The North Las Vegas City Council Wednesday approved the payment to end the lawsuit filed in 1996 by Sam Nasto, Sean Elefante and Ana Salazar against the police department, two officers and the city.

The claims against the city were eventually dropped. The payment settles the claims against the police department and the officers. Under terms of the settlement, the police department does not admit fault.

Through March the case has cost the city $35,000 in outside attorney fees and $13,000 in additional expenses, City Attorney Sean McGowan said.

The lawsuit stemmed from a tavern brawl at the Northstar Bar the morning of March 31, 1996.

Initially 11 officers were named in the suit, but only two officers remain -- Michael Carmondy and Mario Alfonsi, who are still employed with the department.

The three plaintiffs were patrons at the bar where a fight broke out between North Las Vegas resident David Schafer and four off-duty police officers.

Carmondy and Alfonsi were two of several officers who responded to the scene.

Attorneys for the three plaintiffs say Carmondy and Alfonsi "assaulted, battered and used excessive force" and falsely arrested Nasto, Elefante and Salazar. Attorneys for the police department say the officers' actions were in self defense and that the three were arrested only after "they committed criminal acts in the presence of uniformed officers."

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