Defamation suit against Storey sheriff over brothel comments moves forward

A defamation lawsuit against embattled Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro is slowly moving forward — two years after it was initially filed, according to a Las Vegas attorney involved in the case.

District Court Judge James Todd Russell recently ruled there was sufficient evidence that Antinoro had made slandering comments against Storey County Commissioner Lance Gilman.

Gilman, who also oversees the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRIC) and owns the Mustang Ranch brothel, accused Antinoro of making false and damaging statements about his workers at the brothel in a public blog posted in June 2014.

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According to court documents, Antinoro conducted a surprise inspection of the brothel. During an interview, he allegedly told a blogger that two sex workers did not have their medical clearances.

He also said he fined the brothel and that a “highly placed County official” expected “special considerations,” according to a blog excerpt in the lawsuit complaint.

According to the complaint, there was never an instance where a sex worker at the Mustang Ranch was working without the necessary medical clearance.

“You’re basically telling the whole world that he’s running an unsafe business,” said Gilman's attorney, Gus Flangas of Flangas Dalacas Law Group.

Flangas said the brothel workers are required to have a medical certification and a work card, which is issued by the sheriff. The work cards allow an employee to work at a licensed brothel.

“Mr. Gilman is the face of the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, and if this goes out everywhere that he’s doing something unscrupulous with his business, that affects everything else he does,” Flangas said. “There was nothing filed pertaining to medical clearances.”

'The truth will come out'

In response to the complaint, Antinoro’s attorney filed a summary judgment denying the allegations and requesting the case be dismissed.

In the court document, Antinoro’s attorney, Kathy Parks, also argued Gilman was never named in the blog post.

Flangas then filed an opposition to the summary judgment. In it, he argued Antinoro admitted in a deposition that the statements he had made to the blogger were false.

Antinoro said Thursday he never admitted to anything being false.

“The truth is an absolute defense, and at trial, the truth will come out,” Antinoro said, adding he couldn’t comment further on pending litigation.

His attorney was also unavailable for comment Friday.

“The court found that the statements that were made, were made with malice and that the article referred to Lance Gilman,” Flangas said, adding a date for trial has not yet been set.

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The problem between the sheriff and TRIC dates back to 2011 when Antinoro began enforcing regulations on the brothel, Antinoro told the Reno Gazette Journal in an interview last year.

Antinoro has also been fighting allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct for the past few years. Last year, he survived a recall election.

The recall election stemmed from a petition that was filed with the Nevada Secretary of State by a group of women. That group was represented by Kris Thompson, project manager for TRIC — home to high profile projects such as Tesla’s Gigafactory.

It was the county’s first recall election in more than three decades.

'The wheels of justice are slowly turning'

Gilman said he felt appreciative that the judge took a closer look at the defamation case. He said he is confident the lawsuit will be successful.

“It made me look like I was doing illegal things and running a poor business,” Gilman said Thursday. “So, I brought the slander/libel suit against him. And because I’m a county commissioner, it sets a very high standard. The standard you would have to show is that someone lied about you and did it with malice.”

Gilman said there’s never been a time when a brothel employee was working without a medical credential.

“The ladies at the Mustang Ranch cannot work if they don’t have their medical credentials,” Gilman said.

“And accusing me of wanting favors for him to look away, that was definitely a lie,” he said. “I think what’s troubling overall is that the sheriff is held at a very high standard.

“To be proven to be shown a liar for personal gain is very troubling. We look to our sheriff to set the standard in ethics, and it wasn’t the case in this instance.

“It’s time to bring closure.”

Gilman said he filed the lawsuit because he was worried the statements published in the blog would damage his reputation as a businessman.

“I have been asked about it a number of times before,” Gilman said. “So, to suggest anything else is going on is very damaging to my reputation and my business.”

Antinoro, who is running for re-election against two other candidates this year, is also currently fighting a federal sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Chief Deputy Melanie Keener.

This week, Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who is campaigning for governor, confirmed his office is investigating Antinoro but his staff declined to offer details, according to a report from the Associated Press.

“The wheels of justice are slowly turning,” Gilman said of his lawsuit.