June 2009 -
Hundreds invested in what was to be the safest community in America -- a housing development on a gun range not far for Pahrump. But when the dream failed to materialize, some members of the Front Sight Firearms Training Institute went to court.
Three years later, they're still there with some members now breaking ranks.
In mid-May, it seemed Ignatius Piazza, the president of the institute had finally gone too far. In response to his refusal to pay a multi-million dollar settlement, a federal judge ordered a receiver to take control of Front Sight, its facilities, its operations, and its assets.
Read the court filing
The move pushed both sides back to the table, but some members are now telling the judge they don't like what they hear.
Front Sight members Jerry Matsumura and Erik Johnson both filed letters with Judge James Ware questioning the move by their own attorney to terminate the receivership after only one week. Without it, they argue "Defendants and others get profits. The class members get empty promises."
Read the letter from Dr. Jerry Matsumura
Front Sight still owes more than $5 million of the class action settlement, some $200,000 of it belongs to Johnson. "I and at least the few that I've been able to talk to were very happy with the appointment of the receiver as somebody running Front Sight besides Piazza, because he says he's not going to honor the judgment, so we're assuming the receiver would," he said.
The judge sealed the transcripts of the hearing where the receivership was dissolved, so it's unclear exactly what was discussed.
Read the letter from Erik Johnson
Attorney Keith Greer says he never asked for the receiver and believes it was bad for business. Greer insists he is in the process of restructuring the payment schedule with Front Sight and expects to have an agreement soon. He says it will include all of the original settlement monies, plus interest, with no reduction for attorney's fees.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled in early July.
