Court rules lawyer must go to arbitration

Monday, Jan. 3, 2005 | 11:06 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that Las Vegas lawyer Charles McCrea Jr. must go to arbitration over his claim he is owed more than $1.4 million after being fired as counsel for Mikohn Gaming Corp.

But the court, in a decision issued last week, said other issues by McCrea, such as defamation and emotional distress, should be decided in the district court.

McCrea seeks loss of severance benefits of $1.4 million, an unpaid bonus of $67,000 and the loss of 246,000 stock options. Mikohn claims McCrea owed the company $113,000 he borrowed to buy stock.

McCrea was hired in 1994 as general counsel and terminated in 2003.

Mikohn sought a gaming license in Michigan and during the investigation accusations were made against McCrea and the company. McCrea said the company did an audit and found the allegations against him to be untrue.

But the company fired him. It filed suit first on the claim he owed money. And McCrea then submitted a suit that he was denied other benefits. McCrea sought to pursue all his claims in court and avoid arbitration.