Slain attorney knew of potential danger before Summerlin law office shooting, lawsuit alleges

A lawyer who was in the room during a deadly 2024 law office shooting in Summerlin has filed suit against the estate of the attorney who was killed.

Lisa Rasmussen, who was in the deposition at the Prince Law Group offices when the firm’s namesake, Dennis Prince, was shot dead along with his wife, Ashley Prince, is alleging that Dennis Prince and his law firm, through him, were negligent in that they knew about a potential security threat associated with the deposition that day but failed to give warnings to those who would be in attendance, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in District Court.

Dennis Prince, 57, and Ashley Prince, 30, were shot and killed by Joseph Houston II, 77, inside the law firm’s offices at the City National Bank Building at 10801 W. Charleston Boulevard on April 8, 2024, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Houston then fatally shot himself. He had been representing his son Dylan Houston, who was Ashley Prince’s ex-husband, in what had become a contentious child custody battle, a case that the complaint referred to as “extremely adversarial.”

Rasmussen, an attorney with the McLetchie Law Group in Las Vegas, was representing Katherine and Taylor Houston, Joseph’s wife and daughter.

Suffers from anxiety, mental distress since shooting

The eight-page complaint filed on behalf of Rasmussen alleges that Dennis Prince, as the primary decision-maker for the Prince Law Group, knew of the potential danger to those attending the deposition and failed to convey that potential danger.

“Upon information and belief, Dennis Prince and through him, PLG, had advanced knowledge of a potential security and/or safety threat associated with the Katherine Houston deposition,” the complaint alleges. “Specifically, upon information and belief, Dennis Prince and PLG had received threats relating to the Family Court Case such that they knew the deposition of Katherine Houston would be dangerous.”

The suit alleges that Dennis Prince considered instituting security measures in advance of the deposition, but that he ultimately decided against it.

According to the complaint, Prince and the law firm “failed to exercise reasonable care and take measures to mitigate or prevent injury or harm to those attending the deposition of Katherine Houston, despite there being an apparent foreseeable harm to those in attendance.”

When the gunshots rang out that morning, Rasmussen fled to a nearby hallway to seek shelter and later called 911. The experience has caused Rasmussen to suffer from anxiety, mental distress, sleeplessness, and intrusive thoughts, and suffering has impacted her enjoyment of life and overall well-being, the complaint said.

She recounted the day of the shooting with a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter after the ordeal.

“I wasn’t thinking about this ending in any kind of violence; let alone the way it resulted,” Rasmussen said at the time. “Maybe I should have told him to stop, but your instinct is just to get out. It’s gunfire. You can’t argue with gunfire.”

Litigation continues

The deadly shooting has led to a number of other lawsuits in Southern Nevada, including a wrongful death suit filed last month by lawyers for two of Dennis Prince’s children.

Scot Prince and Taylor Prince See, according to a 14-page complaint, are seeking punitive damages following the shooting death of their father.

A similar lawsuit was filed in March in Clark County District Court by Nancy Bernstein, another of Dennis Prince’s ex-wives and the mother of one of his sons.

Rasmussen’s lawsuit, which names Dennis Prince’s estate and the Prince Law Group among the defendants, asks for punitive damages from Prince’s estate, attorney fees and costs, and “any other relief deemed proper by the court.” It asks for a jury trial.

The Prince Law Group announced in June of 2024 that it would shut its doors permanently.

A message to the McLetchie Law Group was not immediately returned on Thursday. When reached by phone, Rasmussen declined to comment.

Scot Prince, in a text message, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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