Law

Indian man running for office wins defamation suit

A Comanche/Apache man who is running for public office in Las Vegas, Nevada, won a defamation suit against a local paper that accused him of domestic violence, alcoholism and of changing his surname to sound more "American."

David Rivers sued The Las Vegas Tribune after the paper ran a headline that said "A Judicial Candidate With History of Domestic Violence." Among other claims, the story said Rivers, 62, used to have a Hispanic-sounding surname.

"I don't think you can get more American than Native American," Rivers told The Las Vegas Review-Journal of his heritage.

Rivers, an attorney, plans to seek $1 million in damages from the paper. He is a candidate for District Court Department 10.

Get the Story:
Lawyer defamed, judge rules (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/29)