U.S. Court Asked to Move Trial Site in Laxalt Lawsuit

RENO —  A last-minute legal motion to move former Sen. Paul Laxalt’s $250-million libel action against McClatchy Newspapers to another state has been filed by lawyers for the California news organization.

Another McClatchy motion filed in U.S. District Court here at Friday’s deadline for pretrial matters in the case seeks to exclude any discussion at a trial of past and pending libel actions against the newspaper.

And a third McClatchy motion seeks to exclude discussion of Laxalt’s political future at the trial, scheduled to start June 23. Laxalt reportedly is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination.

Meanwhile, Laxalt attorney James Beasley filed a motion for summary judgment in the case, asking U.S. District Judge Edward Reed to find McClatchy guilty of defaming Laxalt. Responses to the various motions are due May 22.

Laxalt filed suit against Sacramento-based McClatchy Newspapers in 1984, objecting to an article that said that the Internal Revenue Service had evidence of a skimming operation at a Carson City, Nev., casino while under Laxalt family control in the early 1970s.