Columnist Jeff German: Binion still paying bills for legal fight long after his death

Just as he did in life, Ted Binion in death is keeping a lot of lawyers in business.

The late casino executive appears to be the sole source of funding for the ongoing legal battle over his multimillion-dollar estate.

The battle is pitting lawyers for the estate, James J. Brown, Richard Wright and Harry Claiborne, against his live-in girlfriend's attorneys, Oscar Goodman and David Chesnoff.

A judge already has ruled that the girlfriend, 26-year-old Sandy Murphy, is entitled to her share of the estate, Binion's expansive Las Vegas home and contents and $300,000 in cash. But the estate's lawyers are appealing the decision, contending Binion had instructed them to cut Murphy out of his will the day before his Sept. 17 death.

Murphy, meanwhile, seems to have a head start on grabbing her inheritance, estate lawyers say.

Binion's home and safe were cleaned out of its valuables, including a $300,000 collection of rare currency, by the time the coroner arrived on the scene to take away his body. The lack of anything of value in the house has made it hard for the estate to give the court a full accounting of Binion's millions.

Then there's the police investigation into his death, where, according to Goodman and Chesnoff, the estate is doing its best to heighten suspicions about Murphy's activities. She reportedly had a romantic affair with the chief suspect in the theft of $4 million in buried silver owned by Binion. The suspect, Montana contractor Rick Tabish, was arrested after allegedly digging up the silver in the middle of the night in Pahrump less than 36 hours after Binion's death.

Both Tabish and Murphy, who reported Binion's death to police Sept. 17, have refused to be interviewed by homicide detectives trying to figure out how Binion wound up with lethal levels of heroin and the prescription sedative, Xanax, in his system.

Courthouse watchers, meanwhile, are intrigued by the unfolding estate battle between the lawyers. All but Brown (a civil lawyer) are highly regarded members of the criminal defense bar. They're not known for their prowess in probate court.

Even more interesting, the four defense attorneys are used to being on the same side, championing the same legal injustices. They're also good friends.

But their patience with each other (maybe even their friendship) is being tested, as they raise the stakes in the fight over Binion's estate.

Before this drama ends, we're likely to see some entertaining moments at the courthouse. It's coming to us courtesy of Ted Binion's bank account.

It's another week, and there's more unwanted national attention for the casino industry.

So what else is new?

Congressional Quarterly Weekly published a piece Monday on the industry's stepped-up political presence in Washington.

In the article, Wayne Mehl, the Nevada Resort Association's veteran Washington lobbyist, acknowledges: "Gambling is going to be a major issue in 1999. And frankly, we are very concerned."

Indeed they are.

The industry's critics are anxiously awaiting the final report of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission this June before they propose legislation intended to make life miserable for casino operators everywhere.

The nine-member panel, after spending three days in Las Vegas in November, heads to Christian Coalition country, a stronghold of gambling's opposition, next month for a hard-working retreat.

The commission, which will hear presentations on a wide-range of gambling subjects, meets in an informal setting on the campus of Pat Robertson's Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. Kay James, the commission's conservative chairwoman, is an administrator there.

Earlier this month, James impressed gaming executives when she delivered what was viewed as a thoughtful and well-rounded address about the state of gambling in America. After having time to look more closely at her comments, however, some executives now are taking a dimmer view of her talk. To some, it now looks as though James issued an ultimatum to the industry to clean up its act.

That may have been the case. But there's a growing belief within the industry that gaming needs to focus more on its problems.

It should get a chance to do that after the federal commission delivers its report to Congress.

County Commissioner Dario Herrera may be a politician, but he doesn't need to take a poll before every decision, especially when it involves his personal life.

Herrera married his fiancee, Emily McCann, just before midnight Saturday in a quick, no-frills ceremony at the historic Little Church of the West on the Strip.

The two 25-year-olds became engaged over the Christmas holiday.

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