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New Attempt To Reopen Club C2K

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Sept. 18, 2000 -- Club C2K attorney John Curtas wants to reach a "global settlement" so the controversial nightclub can reopen pronto. But if talks aren't successful this week, the battle between it and the Venetian hotel-casino will reopen Friday at another evidentiary hearing.

Attorneys for C2K, the Venetian and H & H of Nevada are scheduled to meet early this week to hammer out an agreement that all of the parties can agree on. Sure to be discussed will be problems with the lease agreement between the three companies and last week's testimony of undercover Metro Police Officer Todd Raybuck.

Raybuck testified in District Judge Stephen Huffaker's chambers Thursday during a hearing in which attorneys for C2K argued for the club to be reopened.

Officials with the Venetian padlocked the club Aug. 30 after hearing about numerous incidents of drug usage, violence and inappropriate sexual behavior.

According to the transcript, Raybuck spent three nights undercover at Club C2K. During each visit he observed a great deal of paraphernalia associated with the drug Ecstasy, as well as a number of alleged drug buys.

Curtas, the attorney for club owner David Horowitz, argued Thursday that the closure of the club has less to do with drugs and sex and more to do with a property and contract dispute. He accused Venetian attorney Stephen Peek of trying to waive a "media-friendly yarn" by throwing out such phrases as "gratuitous sex" and "drugs."

Attorneys for all of the parties involved halted the hearing after meeting with Huffaker Friday in the hopes a settlement could be reached. If not, the hearing will resume Friday with the testimony of other undercover officers.

Raybuck testified that Ecstasy usage is easier to pinpoint because a great many things are used along with it. Light and glow sticks enhance the effects of the drugs, as does Vicks VapoRub. In addition, some users suck on pacifiers and hard candies because the drug causes them to grind their teeth and bite their lips and tongue.

All of these things were prevalent on the nights he visited C2K, Raybuck testified.

"It appeared that it was worse at C2K because of the magnitude of the problem, the sheer mass of the people and the fact that it appeared to cater more to that environment than other clubs," Raybuck said.

Raybuck visited the club between July 2 and Aug. 30. Once between 3,000 and 4,500 people were in attendance, he said.

Raybuck also testified he saw two people taken out of the club on stretchers, presumably because of drug overdoses.

Other undercover operations were scheduled for Club C2K, Raybuck said, but the club was closed before they could take place.

Under cross-examination from C2K attorney Brian Whitaker, Raybuck acknowledged that none of the paraphernalia had been sold by the club. He also said he was aware that three weeks before the club was closed, a retired narcotics officer had been hired to help with the problem.

Raybuck said he was not aware that undercover investigators had also been hired by club owner David Horowitz to do surveillance.

Four pages of Raybuck's testimony were blacked out before the transcript's release, including a portion of Raybuck's final answer.

Peek questioned why Metro Police didn't tell C2K about its investigation.

"Even though Mr. Horowitz was never implicated in any of the investigation," he replied, but the rest of the answer was blacked out.

Curtas said the pages were redacted because the questions and answers pertained to some of Horowitz's friends and associates and were irrelevant.

"(The Venetian attorneys) wanted to know about every Tom, Dick and Harry Mr. Horowitz has ever been acquainted with," Curtas said. "Some of them have problems of their own and they're not relevant to what's going on here. I argued, and the judge agreed, that my client shouldn't be subjected to any innuendos.

"If we were all judged on what our friends do, then none of us would be safe."

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