Thursday, July 27, 2000 | 11:27 a.m.
Rick Tabish's new attorney, William Terry, as expected Wednesday challenged the loyalties of his client's former lawyer and a private investigator during the Ted Binion murder trial.
In a motion for a new trial for Tabish, Terry charged that the former attorney, Louis Palazzo, "abandoned" the interests of Tabish in favor of those of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former lawyer for Tabish's co-defendant, Sandy Murphy.
Terry charged that Palazzo allowed private investigator William Cassidy, a City Hall aide to Goodman, to call the shots during the trial.
Cassidy, who was paid $217,000 as a defense consultant, made several unfulfilled promises to the defense team, such as guaranteeing that Binion estate investigator Tom Dillard and key prosecution witness Leo Casey would be indicted before the trial, Terry said.
Cassidy, Terry added, also guaranteed that Goodman either would play a role in cross-examining witnesses during the trial or would testify himself. None of those things happened.
"All I know is I stayed a million miles away from the case," Goodman said this morning. "I made a promise that I was going to spend full time being mayor. I've kept my promise."
Cassidy could not be reached for comment, but Goodman said the investigator received no instructions from him regarding the case.
Terry, however, alleged that Cassidy discouraged Palazzo and Tabish from bringing up information during the trial that Murphy had brought bags of silver coins to Goodman's law firm shortly after Binion's death. Prosecutors, who did not know about the incident at the trial, believe the coins were stolen from Binion's safe.
The Sun reported last month that Goodman told Murphy the coins needed to be inventoried, but she took them back before an accounting could be made. The coins later wound up in the hands of Tabish's ex-brother-in-law, Dennis Rehbein, who testified against Tabish at the trial.
Tabish and Murphy contend that the coins were removed from Binion's house in the presence of their friends the day after Binion's death -- not on Sept. 17 as prosecutors alleged -- and that there was no intent to steal the silver. Murphy believed at the time she was being willed Binion's home and contents, and none of her lawyers advised her not to take items from the house.
Terry suggested that Palazzo's loyalties were divided between Tabish and Goodman, who has been a legal mentor.
Palazzo, who did not return a phone call, and Cassidy put pressure on Tabish not to testify during the trial, Terry said. Tabish was prepared to take the witness stand, but was persuaded at the last minute to keep silent.
Terry added: "Mr. Palazzo neglected to call certain essential witnesses dealing with Mr. Tabish's finances and other matters which were the subject matter of the instant trial."
Palazzo, for example, refused to call Tabish's civil lawyer, William Knudson, who could have testified about a lunch with Tabish and Murphy the day Binion died, Terry said.
"It is submitted that Mr. Palazzo made certain choices based on a conflict of interest, real or imagined, and a misapplication of the law," Terry charged.
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