One of the occupations in Las Vegas that appears to have good job security is for construction defect attorneys, for both plaintiffs and defendants.
Despite the slowdown in homebuilding locally, plaintiffs' attorneys continue to hit the industry with lawsuits and those cases are likely to drag on for years.
Look for continued complaints by homebuilders that these cases typically are about generating fees for attorneys as opposed to fixing homes; while the homeowner lawyers will argue the builders wouldn't be sued if they didn't build defective homes or at least promptly fixed problems.
Here are some of the more recent cases:
-- Some 300 homeowners are suing Pulte Homes' Del Webb Communities Inc. in a case that appears to focus on Sun City Anthem in Henderson. At issue are alleged defects in roofs, stucco, concrete flatwork, HVAC lines, drywall, paint trim, baseboards, sinks, trusses and walls. That case was filed by attorneys Paul Terry Jr., John Stander and Jory Garabedian of the firm Angius & Terry LLP.
-- Emerson Ashley filed what is proposed to be a class-action complaint alleging defects in 83 homes in the Summer Gate development, including in three Trophy Club at Paradise subdivisions. The defendants are Trophy Club at Paradise East, Primack Homes Inc., Carina Corp. and Paradise-Robindale LLC. Paradise-Robindale is controlled by Consolidated Mortgage, which financed development of the project. The suit alleges defective roofs, leaking windows, dirt coming through windows, drywall and stucco cracking, stucco staining, water and insect intrusion through foundation slabs and other problems. It claims the defendants were notified of the problems but have not fixed them. That suit was filed by attorneys Duane Shinnick, Eric Ransavage and Megan Chodzko of the firm Shinnick, Ryan & Ransavage.
-- The Grand Teton Village Community Association sued Beazer Homes Holding Corp. alleging defects in the association's common areas and that Beazer has failed to correct the problems. That suit was filed by attorneys Roger Grant, Charles Litt and Johnpaul Fortin of the firm Feinberg Grant Mayfield Kaneda & Litt.
The defendants either could not be reached for comment, declined comment on the allegations of construction defects or said they could not comment because they had not seen the suits.
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Alaska Airlines announced new nonstop service between Bellingham, Wash., and Las Vegas starting June 25. The flights will operate on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays linking Washington state and the Vancouver, British Columbia, area to Las Vegas. Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines will also continue to offer four-times-daily Bellingham-Las Vegas service via Seattle. Alaska competes on the Bellingham-Las Vegas route with Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air.
Alaska Airlines is offering $59 one-way fares on the new nonstop route for tickets purchased by April 22 for travel through Aug. 30. The airline also is offering Las Vegas vacation packages for as low as $208 per person, which includes round-trip airfare and two nights at a hotel.
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Aruze Gaming America Inc. named Sam Basile as vice president, legal & compliance, and general counsel.
Basile has served as vice president and general counsel for Gaughan Gaming, Las Vegas Dissemination Co. and The Regent, Las Vegas; and was associate general counsel at Mirage Resorts and associate corporate counsel at Aristocrat Technologies.
Kent Young is general manager of Las Vegas-based Aruze Gaming America. It's part of Aruze Corp., which makes slot machines.
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Hip-Hop star and MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway has signed on to host a rock band competition at Harrah's Entertainment Inc. properties around the country, including a competition next week at Harrah's Las Vegas.
Calloway will host the four regional competitions and the Atlantic City competition for the Harrah's and MTV Games' "Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band Competition."
Harrah's said nearly 500 bands have registered to compete and nearly 43,000 people have visited the competition's Web site, www.harrahs.com/rockband.
Harrah's said winning bands from the initial competition will compete in celebrity-judged regional competitions in Las Vegas on April 16, the Chicago area on April 24, New Orleans April 30 and Atlantic City May 7. The finals are in Atlantic City May 8 with the winning band earning $10,000.
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Casino Enterprise Management Magazine named the winners of its 2008 Great Women of Gaming Awards. To win, the women must have demonstrated exceptional achievement in going above and beyond job responsibilities, commitment to their companies and co-workers, contributions to the industry, commitment to mentoring; and strong overall life balance.
The proven leader award winners are:
- Cath Burns, Vice President, Asia-Pacific and Managing Director, Bally Macau
- Libby Francisco, Chief Operations Officer, Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise
- Jana McKeag, President and Co-Owner, Lowry Strategies
- Cynthia Kiser Murphy, President and COO, New York-New York Hotel & Casino
- Linda Roe, Vice President of Business Development & Client Relations, Thalden-Boyd-Emery Architects
The rising star award winners are:
- Michelle Chatigny, Vice President of Compliance, International Game Technology
- Catina Moore, Senior Manager of Operations, WMS Gaming
- Valerie Morris, Regional Vice President of Sales, Communications & Community Relations, Harrah's Entertainment
- Treena L. Parvello, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise
- Jennifer Roberts, Associate Attorney, Gaming and Regulatory Department, Lionel Sawyer & Collins Las Vegas
The judges included: Brenda Boudreaux, vice president of product management, International Game Technology; Dona Cassese, creative director of global marketing communications and operations, Aristocrat Americas; Tracey Chernay, senior vice president of sales & marketing, Transact Technologies; Christie Eickelman, senior director of worldwide marketing, Gaming Laboratories International; Christie Modlin, tribal chair, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma; Shelia Morago, executive director, Arizona Indian Gaming Commission; Courtney Muller, group vice president, Reed Exhibitions; Debra J. Nelson, vice president of corporate diversity & community affairs, MGM Mirage; Mary Lynn Palenik, director of development, research & analysis, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; and Lynn "Nay" Valbeauna, vice chair, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
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Nevada State Bank said it added a consumer loan program to defer payments for 90 days on new and existing loans.
"We know that some consumers need just a little relief to gain footing on their financial commitments," Chief Executive Dallas Haun said in a statement. "This program would enable them to take the time to do so without the worry of missed payments or late fees. We have great options out there for businesses and we know there are consumers under similar economic stress. We’re working to find potential solutions for them and hope this might be helpful in some situations."
Nevada State Bank said it also recently reached out to 2,300 local business owners, inviting them to apply for a line of credit at special reduced rates with an accelerated approval process.
"While we must continue our prudent lending practices and guidelines, we do want to get the cash flow out to the local economy," explained Haun. "We see the entrepreneurs and small business owners as the key factor in reinvigorating the economy. My colleagues and I are constantly looking for new ways to reach out and help them through tough times. We have already modified the loan structure for 500 of our clients."
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The Nevada Restaurant Association and the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association are holding the 19th Annual Epicurean Affair April 23 at the Flamingo Las Vegas.
VIP admission is $150 per person and begins at 6 pm. General admission is $100 per person and begins at 7 pm. World-renowned chefs from all over the city will prepare their signature creations and more than 100 of Las Vegas's restaurants and bars will be represented at the event benefiting the culinary educational programs of the two associations.
For sponsorship information, contact Desiree DeCastro at [email protected] or call the NvRA at 878-2313.
To buy tickets, call the NvRA at 878-2313 or the Flamingo box office at 733-3333. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.nvrestaurants.com .