By Mark Waite
Stephanie Lopez, administrator of the Positive Pahrump Facebook web page, filed a request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by former Pahrump town board candidate Anthony Greco or issue a summary judgment in her favor.
Greco sued Lopez for $26 million last month for comments on the Positive Pahrump Facebook page accusing Greco of being a murderer. But Lopez includes exhibits of numerous newspaper articles detailing Greco’s checkered past in her motion.
Lopez’s motion refers to Greco’s action as a frivolous lawsuit, stating, “the plaintiff’s complaint is a bold demonstration of an attempt to engage in litigation with the defendant for the sole purpose of harassing her.”
Lopez’s motion states Greco was indicted, arrested and put on trial in federal court in 1999 under allegations he was involved in an organized crime murder in New York City. The charges against Greco were dropped in 2002.
But Lopez’s motion claims Greco was denied a work card by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 2008 because “the record is replete with circumstantial and direct evidence linking the appellant not only to organized crime in general but to the major players in the murder itself in particular.”
Greco has a website that publicizes his book “Casino Dealer Triggerman: Fact or Fiction.”
Lopez claims Greco’s complaint lacks the three elements to claim negligence. The lawsuit states Lopez had “no established duty of care” she owed Greco. In addition, she states Greco alleged $26 million in damages that are impossible to substantiate or calculate.
The suit quotes from a previous Nevada case which requires the plaintiff to particularly identify the time, place and identities of the parties involved and the nature of the fraud or mistake.
“The plaintiff has only identified broad sections of time during a span of five months in which the purported statement was made and further defies the requirement for specific details,” the motion states.
Greco also named three defendants and failed to mention which one made the defamatory statement.
Lopez’s motion states Greco also failed to show how the “fictional statements” caused “public alarm and distress among likely voters” as asserted in his suit. Greco alluded to statements made between March 1, 2010 and July 30, 2010, when Greco was a candidate for the Pahrump town board, he failed to make it past the June 2010 primary, finishing 10th out of 15 candidates.
The motion also takes issue with Greco’s claims Lopez was a journalist.
“The plaintiff would suggest through his pleading that the millions of people who have a page on Facebook are now professional news reporters,” the motion states.
Greco filed the lawsuit himself, but didn’t include his address and telephone number, as required by the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure, according to Lopez’s motion.
Greco incorrectly named A & A Masonry LLC as a defendant when Lopez has no legal affiliation with the company, the motion states.
Lopez asks for sanctions against Greco for the filing of a frivolous suit.
Lopez’s motion states: “The plaintiff’s complaint is completely void of any reasonable notion that it is well grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law and obviously shows that he engaged in no form of reasonable and competent inquiry. It is based completely on the plaintiff’s opinion, gossamer threads of whimsy, speculation and conjecture. The plaintiff abuses the legal process by bringing this frivolous action and wastes previous judicial resources in the process of doing so.”
The past newspaper clippings included in Lopez’s motion include a Dec. 8, 1999 Las Vegas Review-Journal article detailing Greco’s arrest by FBI agents in Pahrump; a Nov. 2, 2008 Las Vegas Review-Journal article about Greco being denied a work card by the Gaming Control Board, where he recalls being placed under house arrest in Staten Island from 2000 to 2001 and the Nov. 30, 2011 article in the Pahrump Valley Times about his arraignment on first degree arson charges.
Since his failed town board candidacy, Greco applied for a vacancy on the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission. Greco withdrew his application when county commissioners last month talked about selecting Walter Grudzinski, but county commissioner Dan Schinhofen said he knew Greco for several years and referred to him as “a stand-up guy.”
That pretty much sums it up.
So let me see if I get this right,
Because it’s a large amount, and because he was wrongfully arrested, his claims have no merit? People often sue for far more than they will ever get because they know its going to get knocked down some in trial or settlement.
Yes, all this is silly, and I dont know either Mr Greco or Miss Lopez, but it gets to a point where we need to let things go. Stephanie can be quite nasty (for lack of a better word) when she sets her mind to it, and I cant say I blame Mr Greco for being upset with some of the antics. She also has the power of her members to taunt and pick on people where as Mr Greco has no such resource. I have seen Stephanie skirt the lines on this one as well, pictures of “Geckos” from the Geico commercial, in front of burning houses? Just look on Positive Pahrump. It seems like she likes to kick the anthill because she is a well financed activist.
Perhaps if she stopped being so aggressive in turning our town into a miniature Las Vegas, people would not be so insulted at an outsider coming into our town and telling us how its going to be and things would smooth over.
This kind of stuff has to stop in our town. We need real solutions that everyone (or almost everyone) can agree on. Not this tension and angst, because that will change nothing.
Perhaps Mr Greco should get a Facebook page himself; then he can “taunt and pick on people” as well as Ms Lopez.
So you are ok with the bullying thats been going on by Positive Pahrump and its members when they see someone disagree with them online? I guess in your world everyone is immature, uses their friends to do their dirty work and fights fire with fire.
Sad really.
“gossamer threads of whimsy”
I love that!
I will start out by saying I am a very non active member of Positive Pahrump.
I don’t agree with 99% of what goes on there. Sure there are some good deeds done but for the most part its an angry mob who wants to change Pahrump and not for the better. Lots of younger folks, who have little care for those of us who are on fixed incomes and retired and cant afford all the bells and whistles of a larger city. I have spoken up in the past on this issue and been summarily slapped down by the membership there. In short I was told, “I don’t matter” and “make way for the younger people,” so it would not shock me to find out certain comments were made against this man. I too have seen the graphics making fun of town officials they don’t agree with, and find it very distasteful.
What gets me is the amount of money that flows behind the scenes on that site. Donations in the thousands, Fund raisers for recalls, Attorneys to answer lawsuits, just out of the blue. Besides the members who obviously don’t have that kind of money, where is all this money coming from? Is there an anonymous donor who wants to gentrify Pahrump and price us seniors out when we have finally come to a place we can afford to retire in?
I would like to see our paper investigate that, but I am sure that is asking too much as they probably agree with her as well, and I should start looking (as well as the rest of us snowbirds, RVers, and retirees) for greener pastures.
Casting out accusations of thousands of dollars flowing behind the scenes is pure speculation on your part, that is unless you have some proof of this. Another thing, I am a full time Pahrump resident, not a snowbird or part timer. I suspect you come to Pahrump because you like the mild winters, open spaces and clean air. These are some of the reasons those of us who are non-native moved here. But we also see room for improvement. No, we don’t want our town to turn into another big city like some real estate developers would like. But I would like to have a few more descent restaurants to dine in where I didn’t have to walk through a casino to get there. I would like a few more choices in shopping other than Walmart. There are those of us who want to our town be someplace people like to visit, someplace someone passing through might like to live.
Have a great day.
It does not take a rocket scientist to see the amount of money that is raised. Toy drive ? How much in toys? Donations for various people who needed help around town? By the looks of the pictures posted, it does not take an accounting degree to know its thousands upon thousands of dollars. Hardly “pure speculation”
If you bothered reading instead of defending, you would notice that I live here full time as well. I will be more than happy to carry your message of “Part timers dont matter” far and wide to the snowbirds I know, I am sure they can spend their money in another town.
This is another issue on Positive Pahrump, the fear of casinos. What on earth is so taxing about walking into a casino to get to food. That is unless your irrational fear of someone smoking near by might send you into a panic attack.
Shopping choices? Is it really that hard to drive into Vegas? Do we need to Mall Pahrump to keep the ADD generation happy? I moved here for a nice quiet town, its obvious you and yours did not. Did you even bother to do any research before moving to Pahrump or did you think you could just elbow your way in and ruin this town with malls, more people, and more drain on our natural resources?
Honestly I could care less who wants to visit here. I am not worried about other people’s problems, only the fact that the home I now own will soon be bulldozed in the name of “progress” so you and your friends can build shopping malls and high end dining options. I am more concerned that the money needed to run a “city” that you seek will come with higher prices at the grocery store and higher property taxes for those of us on fixed incomes.
I suggest you rename the group “Selfish Pahrump, we want what we want when we want it”
I can recognize a CAVEer when I see one and I can see an angry person when I hear one. Toys collected all went to needy children in Pahrump and Nye County. I did a great deal of research before moving here. I moved here to enjoy the rural life style, the clean air and the dark skies.
In you post you identified yourself as as a snowbird, that means to me a part timer. If not, so be it. But, I am invested in the town, I pay taxes on my property, I give to the community and assist where I can to veterans needs. Being a military retiree, I see a great need to help the vets where I can. That’s what I do to give back to my community. Can I count you in as well?
No, it’s not a great imposition to drive to Las Vegas to shop, but not everyone can do that. Many do not have reliable vehicles or enough gas to fuel their cars for regular 130 mile round trips. If you can, perhaps you should volunteer to give the needy a ride so they can go shopping or go to a movie or any of the other services we do not have here.
One other thing, I am not a member of Positive Pahrump, never have been and I do not know Ms. Lopez. But I can see an attack on a well meaning person when I see it, subsequently I stand in defense of her and her organization.
Hey, have a great life.
Amazing how you change the subject. I don’t care who collected what for who, I am wondering where the funding is coming from. Guess I hit a nerve. Such is life. Also playing the Vet angle is cute, but it still does not answer the question. How is someone running a charitable organization with no paperwork, no funding, and seemingly no donations other than the pittance they get from the public here.
Folks, this is exactly the kind of pile on you get when you dare ask an unpopular question over there.
I am not quite sure what a “CAVEer” is, but I am sure its another childish insult. Angry? No, Determined, determined to not allow a small group ruin my town.
I live here, I pay taxes, I vote, and I talk to many many people during my travels. I guess I will have to spread the word that if they are over the age of 60, or do not spend their entire days “giving back to the community” their opinions, wants and needs do not count. Last time I checked community service and giving money was a voluntary act. Are we proposing to make it mandatory? Shall we change the name of Pahrump to Charityville? I sure do notice lots of hands out these days, even to someone like myself who lives on a fixed income, yet none seem to want to give me a dime.
If being pushy, loud, and a serious lack of reading comprehension is well meaning, congratulations, you have it down to a science. Me, I will just continue to inform the public of the plans to turn Pahrump into a Disneyland.
You and Welsh need to quit making this a personal vendetta. You’re both on monitor status. Now behave.
PVT
Welsh, CAVE = Citizen’s Against Virtually Everything (or depending on who you talk to the “E” = Everyone)
Keep posting your opinion (within the PVT’s guidelines of course)
maybe, just maybe you should learn to word your letters right….you said ” as well as the rest of US….US snow birds and RVers…..” so when you tell some one that they should read more carefully then you should take care to word things properly.
@Welsh-What are you talking about? What behind the scenes money? Is it that hard for you to believe that when someone starts a toy drive that others participate and give toys?
And yes, it is difficult to drive to Vegas to go shopping and some of us would like to keep our money here. I am also one who would love to see someplace else to shop besides China aka Wal-Mart.
I love some of these comments, I love the fact that people assume that Positive Pahrump is making money, I would like to say POSITIVE PAHRUMP is a face-book page, not a person or entity. Positive Pahrump doesn’t get paid, she is a ADMIN for that page. The last time I checked she isn’t telling you how to run your page, why do you feel you have the right to tell her how to do hers? On that note, if you don’t like her page remove yourself. Why “creep” around and blog about it? Just saying.
I just have to say, that a lot of people complained about a recall that would cost our town 40K but we have people filling suit’s for 26 million and the newest one for 500 million. SMH. This will cost us to, I guess we just pick and chose on what we fill like paying for, instead of what is right and what is wrong. Secondly, Mrs. Lopez DOES not know all the members on that page, she has 4500 people on it and can NOT control what others say or type. JUST SAYING.
I know her response has been filed which was signed by her and not a attorney.
As for Mr. Greco, seeing I have nothing nice to say I will say nothing.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.
Out of curiosity, I searched for “Positive Pahrump” on Facebook. The site requires you to become a friend if you want access to her site. According to the “her” mentioned in the statement. She probably gets a lot of crank comments posted there.
What concerns me the most is if lawsuits and other such actions such as recalls of elected officials, is used in an attempt to stifle free speech. Ms. Lopez has a right to associate with whomever she wants and to air her opinions either via a social network site, or other means. You might disagree entirely with what she has to say or the position she takes, but our constitution protects her right to hold those beliefs and profess them in public.
It’s unfortunate that people can’t agree to disagree without resorting to gamesmanship. but when a person throws their hat in the ring for public office or a sensitive job such as one dealing with gambling in Nevada, they should expect the opposition to gather together information that might negatively impact their campaign. We witness this daily in national politics. The lesson learned should be to toughen up like other candidates and address the controversy head on, rather than cry foul. Being accused of a crime and mob influence is something that the general public will learn about in today’s information age. Moving to the desert of Nevada does not imply immunity to previous media accounts or public records. Granted it is small minded people who judge you guilty or sleazy based on unfounded charges and gossip. But it is quire normal. Ted Kennedy lives with a fateful car accident for decades, and dealt with accusations he was a murderer. It didn’t stop him in his politcal ambitions.
Nobody can say it is not interesting living in Pahrump.
The biggest problem with Lopez and her site is everything is a bit secret. Everything is hidden. Post something she does not like, and its gone in a flash. Any evidence could have long been deleted by now.
With people who are trying to take over a community, secrecy is paramount. Its amazing how the sheep all just follow in line over there. She hates something, everyone hates something. Speak up against one of her ideas and get banned.
You as a member, cant even see who the other members are because 89% of them are not from Pahrump.
I have seen her talk trash about people over and over, nothing is done. I have seen her members refer to us Pahrumpians as “White trash” no one seems to care. She seemingly gets away with anything she wants, and that is because certain people in town want what she is pushing, City hood and high taxes and new laws.
Positive is about abuse and power. The comments by People in Pahrump is right on. Her site is for personal gain and is not open to reasonable discussion. If it doesn’t agree with her she removes your comment and says she never saw it but oddly enough her response will refer to it.
Those who agree with her are many times uninformed or just whiners that the things they want are not here. One has to wonder why they moved to a place that does not have the things they want when Las Vegas is so close and has everything they are asking to have. Just saying.
I don’t know Ms. Lopez personally, nor do I know Mr. Greco. I am a “member” of Positive Pahrump, but no more so than any other Facebook page that I “like” in order to get the posts. All Facebook pages are like that. You have to “like” the page in order to read the page. I joined the Positive Pahrump because I enjoy the comments, the community updates, the information that Positive Pahrump shares about events occurring in Pahrump. Just like any other Facebook page, the people who post comments might agree or disagree with one another. There’s nothing wrong with a good debate nor with expressing one’s opinion. I hope the judge dismisses this lawsuit.