High court chastises Reno lawyer

The Nevada Supreme Court joined a district court judge Thursday in chastising Reno lawyer Carter King for his conduct in a legal case.

King initially represented Maria Marsano in a breach of contract lawsuit and was later named as a codefendant in the case.

During that case, he was cautioned and criticized by the district judge for repeated delays in moving the case forward. The judge finally wrote that "King seems to be under the impression that this court and plaintiff must cater to (King's) erratic schedule and that this action can be delayed as long as it suits defendant King."

Finally, the plaintiff, Blaine Cartlidge, moved for summary judgment.

King filed an opposition but did so two weeks after the deadline and failed to include any evidentiary support.

As a result, the district court granted summary judgment against King and Marsano, and King appealed to the Supreme Court.

"The court noted that King had filed the opposition later, had been granted three continuances since the case began, had failed to provide evidentiary support in any of his numerous motions and was clearly not ready to pursue the case," the Supreme Court order states.

The panel consisting of justices Michael Douglas, Bob Rose and Ron Parraguirre dismissed King's appeal of the judgment.

"The district court's decision to grant Cartlidge's motion is particularly appropriate given King's egregious and dilatory conduct," the order concludes.

-- Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.