Hunt sues estate of her late husband

Stephen Curran

Monday, Oct. 11, 2004 | 11:41 a.m.

Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt is suing the estate of her estranged husband, saying its executor is withholding a stake in the couple's business interests.

In the complaint, filed Sept. 29 in District Court, Hunt claims she is entitled to her deceased husband's interest in two Las Vegas-based businesses. The couple had separated in late 2003.

Her husband, Charles "Blackie" Hunt, died of a heart attack Dec. 30, shortly after the couple filed for divorce. They were married 34 years.

Charles Hunt, 73 when he died, was a 25 percent shareholder in Perri Inc., a real estate and restaurant management company, and The Piazza LLC, which managed a shopping center developed by Lorraine Hunt's family.

The couple, when they were married, had loaned money to both companies in 2000 and 2001. The promissory notes were held in joint tenancy, meaning they were to be transferred automatically to Lorraine Hunt in the event of his death, Scott Cantor, a lawyer for the lieutenant governor, said.

The combined shares are worth more than $1.5 million, according to the complaint.

Similar arrangements are common among married couples, who often hold homes and other big-ticket items in joint tenancy to avoid drawn-out probate proceedings, Cantor said.

"The notes were held in joint tenancy to allow them to pass to the survivor without probate," he said. "The estate seems to be trying to undo that."

Cantor said he could not comment on the conditions of the pending divorce because the file has been sealed.

Israel Kunin, an attorney representing Hunt's estate, did not return repeated phone calls from the Sun.

Lorraine Hunt, a Republican, was president and chief executive officer of Perri before she assumed office in January 1999, according to a biography posted on the state Web site.

The company, started by Lorraine Hunt's parents, also manages the Bootlegger Bistro on Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Charles Hunt had appointed Jared Shafer, the former Clark County public administrator, as executor of the estate, according to the complaint. Shafer could not be reached for comment Friday or today.

The lieutenant governor is not seeking any additional damages, Cantor said.