Claims dismissed in fight over sale

Dan Kulin

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 | 9:23 a.m.

District Judge Valorie Vega on Monday dismissed most of the claims in a counter-lawsuit filed by a 86-year-old woman against two attorneys over their efforts to buy her downtown property.

However, Vega left intact the woman's claim that Louis Palazzo and Ross Goodman, son of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, breached the sales contract when they missed one of the first deadlines in the disputed agreement.

Meanwhile, an attorney for Palazzo and Goodman accused the elderly woman's daughter of pandering to the media and trying to influence the case by painting "Save my mom from Goodman & Palazzo" on the wall of the building at 513 and 515 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Christine Von Sturm's daughter painted the message on the building last week.

Palazzo and Goodman claim in their lawsuit that Von Sturm must sell them the building under the sales agreement they had.

A trial date has not been set to deal with the suit and countersuit.

Von Sturm's attorney, David Rivers, said that before a trial Von Sturm will be examined to see if she is or was competent to enter into a sales agreement with the attorneys. That question is key to the case.

On Monday, Vega set aside Rivers' allegations that his charge of elder abuse should apply to this case, apparently agreeing that the charge could not apply because the parties involved are legally two corporations.

She also dismissed the claims that Palazzo and Goodman received what was essentially inside information about the land, and that they acted improperly by not telling Von Sturm about possible development plans for adjacent city-owned property.

Palazzo and Goodman referred all questions to their attorney, John Netzorg, who said the $1.4 million his clients offered Von Sturm for her property was more than market value.

"This is a breach on contract case that has been transmuted to something else by pandering to the press," Netzorg said, referring to the message now painted on the building.