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Mazzeo levels harsher claims against Gibbons
His attorneys say new conspiracy allegations are without proof
Chrissy Mazzeo and attorney Robert Kossack announce in October the civil rights lawsuit that names Gov. Jim Gibbons, whose attorneys oppose her recent request to amend it.
Saturday, April 25, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Lawsuit
Sun Archives
- Ruling lets Mazzeo collect evidence in civil rights lawsuit (3-24-2009)
- Lawyers: Gibbons has no time for Mazzeo right now (2-18-2009)
- Governor’s lawyers seek dismissal of Mazzeo lawsuit (1-30-2009)
- Proving alleged cover-up won’t be easy (10-27-2008)
- The woman suing the governor (10-21-2008)
- New details emerge in suit against Gibbons (10-20-2008)
- She’s back, lawsuit in hand (10-17-2008)
Sig Rogich
Chrissy Mazzeo has filed court papers seeking to amend her civil rights lawsuit again, this time to directly name Gov. Jim Gibbons as a participant in a cover-up conspiracy she alleges occurred after her October 2006 encounter with the governor outside a Las Vegas restaurant.
Mazzeo also says she was “blacklisted” as a cocktail waitress by the casino industry after a crush of publicity over her claims that Gibbons had assaulted her outside McCormick & Schmick’s three weeks before he was elected governor.
She has submitted an eight-page affidavit in federal court saying that she had an impeccable work record and was in demand as a waitress on the Strip before the late-night incident, but was pressured in the days afterward to quit her job at the Bellagio and was turned away by more than two dozen other casinos.
Mazzeo and her attorney, Robert Kossack, have asked a judge to allow them to amend the complaint to allege that she was blacklisted after Gibbons and his high-powered political strategist, Sig Rogich, mounted a campaign to make her out to be an opportunist and a liar.
In her amended complaint, Mazzeo seeks to tie Gibbons to several aspects of the alleged cover-up. Prosecutors ultimately decided against charging Gibbons after reviewing the evidence gathered by police.
Previously, Mazzeo alleged that Rogich and her former friend, Pennie Mossett-Puhek, conspired, through “threats and intimidation,” to get her to back off the assault claims in an attempt to derail the criminal investigation. But now she wants to add Gibbons, his attorney Don Campbell and former Sheriff Bill Young, who oversaw the police investigation, to that alleged conspiracy. All five are defendants in the lawsuit and have denied wrongdoing.
Mazzeo also is now alleging that Gibbons, Campbell and Young conspired with Rogich to persuade Mossett-Puhek and others present during a night of drinking at McCormick & Schmick’s to lie about what took place so as to discredit Mazzeo’s version of the events.
And Mazzeo wants to add Rogich to an alleged clandestine effort by Campbell and Young to destroy parking garage videotapes that she contends should have shown physical contact between her and Gibbons that night. Rogich had hired Campbell to defend the governor and served as Young’s top political strategist.
Attorneys for all five defendants have filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it has failed to back up the allegations of a cover-up with any facts and that the lawsuit doesn’t point to any specific conspiratorial acts committed by the defendants.
In court papers Friday, the governor’s attorneys opposed Mazzeo’s move to file the amended complaint on similar grounds.
“Mazzeo’s proposed amendment alleges no facts establishing an agreement or meeting of the minds between Gibbons and any other named defendant to violate Mazzeo’s constitutional rights,” attorneys Pat Lundvall and Carla Higginbotham wrote.
But in her affidavit, Mazzeo referred to a set of intriguing circumstances in the hours after her 2006 encounter with Gibbons that she contends bolsters her case.
Mazzeo alleges that Mossett-Puhek tried to persuade her to stop pursuing charges against Gibbons and tell police the incident was nothing but a “misunderstanding.”
The afternoon after the incident, Mazzeo wrote, she did tell police she no longer wanted to press charges, and the next day Young was quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal as saying, “No crime occurred. It’s just a misunderstanding.”
Mazzeo attached a transcript of her interview with a detective that shows she never even implied the incident was a misunderstanding.
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Nixon also said he was not guilty. People would not file these very serious charges against other persons without some merit.
She has not presented or even alleged to have any actual proof to back up any of her claims.
It is just pure accusations without any hard evidence.
It is highly likely that the case will be dismissed unless she can come up with actual evidence outside of her own versions of the story which has changed significantly in substance 4 times.
"People would not file these very serious charges against other persons without some merit".
Yeah....right. I can't believe she is STILL pursuing this matter with yet still another version of what happened. She must think you can fabricate and/or change evidence as she still chases down that monetary settlement she is looking for. Like Gibbons or not, there was no indication that the event this woman keeps bringing up ever happened and it should just be forgotten. It's time for this woman to move on already.
She cries sexual harassment with no evidence and then wonders why she can't find gainful employment. What a genius!
She is ridiculous. She needs to let it go and move on with her life. If she's put her entire career on being a cocktail waitress.....what does that tell you about her intelligence.
She's just wasting everyone's time here.
Where are the tapes from the Bar and both Hotels. Where were the parking garage tapes for days before they mysteriously appeared. The tapes they produced had NO vehicles with wet tires yet, Gibbons claimed they went back inside to avoid a down pour. I think they both have about the same credibility. Gibbons is a POS. I just hope Nance can admit it after Gibbons looks like an idiot after the Leg and loses the Primary if he makes it that far.
What's this lawyer running a combination law office and carpenter shop? Seriously, at one time I believed this person Mazzeo. But, the more her mugs in the paper I believe she's after her 15 minutes of fame and some big bucks to boot.
After knowing and respecting attorney Robert Kossack for many years, I believe he would not be pursuing this case unless it had great merit. Nothing he accuses Sig Rogich of doing surprises me -- the blacklisting; failure of the DA to respond; and where are those video tapes? Kossack has a viable conspiracy case here, and the other side realizes that fact and is using every political trick in Rogich's book to make it go away.
jfnance,Did you actually read the article or are you once again taking off on someone just for the pleasure of taking off on someone? What proof there may have been has been destroyed,and the power players in this instance have taken over. Forget who did what, would you want a family member treated this way?
By the way just a galnce at Gibbons personal life and his divorce tells the average person he has a lot of dirty laundry and huge credibility and charcter issues.
Your spin on this was revealed with your rant about the Sun printing an article about this failed governor. As if they did not have the right to print a relevant story on Gibbons a day after he was ridiculed on national television.Are Republicans off limits for a news story according to you? It has become amusing to read your posts. It is a wonder what a small mind can conjure up. Gibbons is miserable failure as man,husband,and Governor and his side kick Rogich fails to contribute anything of value to society.
...bad behavior, although reprehensible and especially so from a politician, is neither criminal nor particularly harmful...please go away now...
As usual, let's blame the woman because she was attacked. It must be her fault because she has breasts, and may actually be proud of them. She is also good looking. That must make her a tart.
What a load of hogwash. She was attacked, and there were those that covered it up because she was attacked by someone with power.
This is what it comes down to in the minds of the public. Why is it alright with the bunch of you.
Bad behavior? I guess you think rape is also "bad behavior". Assault is assault no matter how you look at it, and this one was covered up.
You go Chrissy. I hope that Gov Gibbons gets convicted of a sex offense and has to register as one for the rest of his life.
Honey (term of adirement)-by the way not crminal, or harrassment on my part to address you as such, though you may not like it.
You may have had grounds if you worked for him, or with him and he was your supervisor. But then you would have to tell him to stop his behavior more than once.
Even in a club I can say wow! look at her, she looks so and so, and you might not like it. If I am tipping big bucks you just ignore it, but if you are not getting big tips, you get a bouncer to 86 me out the door. Just ask the HOOTERS Girls how many times they hear this or that about how they look or what some guy thinks out loud about one of them. If the guy doesn't let up he may get the door, but chances are he is a patron so the staff will just ask him to turn it down a notch.
You didn't get good advise from your attorney Robert Kossack to go after those deep pockets (Jim Gibbons) for something (bad behavior)prosecutors ultimately decided against. For you to file a charge against Gibbons for a criminal act without evidence that would not hold up in a court is where your attorney has failed you. Even after reviewing the evidence gathered by the police your attorney should have given you a refund.
Stop paying your attorney (throwing good money after bad) for his poor judement and leading you astray.
Try, hard as it may to put your life back in order and resume your carrer. The older this case gets the more likely it will be that you will start to look like the one in the wrong.
Emotions removed, this case appears to be all here say, I hope you can find solid evidence to support your accusations, or you are just wasting your time and money, Honey.
While the Sun's photo gallery certainly casts doubt on Mazzeo's credibility as a complainant, it is very true that person's with questionable judgment often end-up as victims of crimes (that's how they end-up there - poor judgment). And it is unlikely that an experienced attorney would risk the approbation of the Bar to take on a case without merit . . .
She is being used by the interest of the Democratic Party.
I am not sure who is paying her lawyer bills or paying for her living expenses because she is not because she does not have a job.
I hope that they take care of her after they get done using her. Hopefully she will land a cushy job with a Democratic money machine somewhere.
Gee, Nance, Chrissy Mazzeo has no evidence but you sure do. You just know Democrats are behind it because ... oh, the often mispronounced Fox News must have told you. Democrats really need something to attack Governor Assaulter with. They have nothing else. I mean, he has been so perfect as governor.
All I know about the case is this: Nance, if you or I had been accused of what Gibbons was accused of, the sheriff wouldn't have called to prepare us to be questioned. But he was, and birds of a feather tend to flock together.
Why doesn't Ron Young come clean and save what is left of an outstanding career in law before his mixup in this coverup? Why is he being a cohort for the luv guv.
Yes, you are right there is not one single Democrat behind this whole lawsuit. They are all perfect angels.
Also, thanks for being a big man and admitting that Mazzeo currently has no evidence.
You did get the 411 on Hoover signing the Glass-Stegall Act.
You can make into a trick question on one of your exams since you got that wrong yourself.
Nance, when I saw your comment here about Glass-Steagall, I went back and found the article and comment. You are correct that there was a second Glass-Steagall Act. Do you plan to admit the errors you made? I just admitted one I made. I also said what I know about the case and why I think there is more to it. But you continue to lie about Democrats being involved. When I say lie, does that mean no Democrats are involved? No, I don't know. But you don't, either, so you make it up, which, being part of a disgraced political ideology and organization, is about all you can do.
Did I say that some Democrat was funding her or her lawyer? No.....I did not. I have no idea.
I believe that Robert Kossack is doing his work pro-bono and I guess he is using his own money to pay for the court fees and he is doing it for the pursuit of justice.
How is Mazzeo paying her rent, clothes, food, etc? Perhaps she won mega-bucks or something. It would be nice to know who is paying her way. It could be her parents. I guess that is her business.
Did I say that the Democrats are using her?
First, it would be extremely naive not to believe that an opposition party (Republican or Democrat) to a sitting governor would have a very strong vested interest in nurturing such a lawsuit. In fact, if the Democrats are doing nothing then their license to practice politics should be taken away.
Evidence of the Democrats using Mazzeo's and her lawsuit is The Las Vegas Sun which is a big Democrat cheerleader of a paper that has been over hyping this story since day one.
Is it Ok for them to report on this story? Yes
Are they over hyping it? Yes and every chance that they can get.
Why? Because it is a pro-Democratic Party and liberal paper who wants to weaken a sitting conservative Republican governor as much as possible and they are more than willing to use Mazzeo to do it.
I just hope that when the case gets dismissed that some Democrats reward her for pain of going through with the lawsuit. Her case is extremely weak and she is putting herself in public at the risk of looking foolish and being made fun of. She does seem to be a gullible person. I just hope that she knows that if heavy Democratic forces are pushing her and giving her advice then they might not be looking out for her best interest.
Hey, you republicans that think Gibbons didnt do it,,, arent your the same republicans that belived the Bush WMD thingy and we had to go to war in Iraq.
Arent you the same republicans that supported and stood by the worst president (Bush) this world has ever seen.
Now your standing by and supporting the worst governor this state has ever had.
Lesson not learned I guess.
Cheers
Davyo
More stupidity from neiman. When the Sun runs a story against a failed governor who national television is exposing it is a Democrat Party conspiracy.Does national television have an agenda with this nit wit governor in Carson City? No. Is he so lame as not to think this idiot Gibbons has not brought this on by his own actions?
I am sure the Greenspun family gets a huge laugh from someone calling their paper liberal or pro Democrat. But the real issue here is the genius neiman knows exactly what evidence there is or does not exist,who is behind this vast conspiracy when in fact no one else does. He is wondering who is paying her attorney, how she pays her rent,food,clothes ect. The real issue is someone reported a story about this failed Reublican governor.
I was not aware a person needed a license to prctice politics. More neiman bs. He is pathological.
I have confused neiman with nance both have similar posts. Hail Bush
Nance and Neiman....aka 'N-Squared'.
Cocktail waitresses, by the very nature of the job, often send out mixed signals to male customers, especially those with a strong sense of infidelity (like Jim).
He tried to get some, she asked for a price that was not in his league, and this parking lot incident blew up.
It doesn't warrant a law suit.
Maybe if she didn't come across as such a floozy, she'd have more credibility. Something probably happened, but a lawsuit? Please. This woman just needs to get on with her life and quit with the persecution complex. Life is hardly ever "fair" and way, way worse things happen to people all the time. You'd think she'd been stabbed multiple times in the heart and her face disfigured, the way she's acting. Waah, waah, waah...
Also, I could not care less what Gibbons the husband does in his personal life. As long as he keeps those taxes down, he's ok by me. (Full disclosure: I also didn't care what Clinton did with his intern-with a harpy of a wife like his, can you blame the poor guy? I just thought it was an abomination to have conducted his affair in the sanctity of the Oval Office, but whatever...)
The legal job of cocktail waitress is one of many job titles in the hospitality industry, and should be respected as such, without pre-conceptions or prejudices. Ms. Mazzeo's job title has nothing to do with the allegations, or due process of law for both parties.
I figure with Gibbons as governor Nevada is number 1 in at least the category of the biggest boob for governor. Or is it that we are consistent with other things - one of the worst for education, health, government services and one of the worst governors. The last person to get this much public action was Bill Clinton. Maybe some of these republicans should become democrats so they can have even more fun! Yes this comment has little to do with the situation of Ms. Mazzeo - but it is a character affidavit for the great governor.
Huh?