Shopping center could face lawsuit over use of 'The District'

The District at Green Valley Ranch and The District at Commercial Center, two shopping centers with greatly differing reputations and clientele, are on the brink of a lawsuit over the use of the name "The District."

More than a year after the Commercial Center Business Association started a Web site and advertisements using the name The District at Commercial Center, association president and founder Paula Sadler received a letter from the lawyers of American Nevada Holdings LLC, which developed and manages The District at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson.

In a letter dated July 31, which was obtained by the View, the company's lawyer, Michael J. McCue, urged Commercial Center to stop using the name The District and to change its Web site, www.thedistrictatcc.com, similar to The District at Green Valley Ranch's Web site at www.the districtatgvr.com, as of Aug. 15, or American Nevada Holdings would sue.

"I was shocked," said Sadler, owner of A Harmony Nail Spa in Commercial Center, 953 E. Sahara Ave.

The new tag "The District at Commercial Center" was the result of one of the first Commercial Center Business Association meetings in January 2007. The association, made up of about 20 of the center's more than 250 businesses, was a vision of Sadler's to help enhance the center's appearance, safety and overall reputation.

District 9-FIVE-3 also was on a list of possible names, along with The Village and Center 953. Business owners voted to make the new name The District at Commercial Center.

"We wanted to hold onto the old name and get a new addition to improve the image," Sadler said. "My goal is to preserve the quality of business here. We're not trying to piggyback on (The District at Green Valley Ranch's) reputation."

Commercial Center attorney David Zaniel of Reno replied to The District at Green Valley Ranch in a letter dated Aug. 7, which was obtained by the View, saying that consumers would not be confused by the use of the name, and that Commercial Center will not change its position.

Representatives of The District at Green Valley Ranch declined to comment on the status of the lawsuit. Calls from the View to McCue seeking comment were not returned.

Commercial Center, which sits a mile from the Strip and 15 miles from Henderson, rings in a different reputation for many longtime Las Vegans.

The 48-year-old Commercial Center is lined with a smorgasbord of shops, bars, storefront churches, massage parlors, mom-and-pop international restaurants and a fetish boutique.

The District at Green Valley Ranch first sent Sadler a cease and desist request in September 2007. Sadler responded to explain that the words "The District" are general terms, like "mall" or "neighborhood."

She listed several other entities that used the words "The District," arguing that The District at Green Valley Ranch also would have to go after the District of Columbia, the Clark County School District and the Las Vegas Valley Water District, among others, to completely claim the rights to the name.

"When you hear 'The District,' (The District at Green Valley Ranch) is what you think about," said Joanne Kovacik, who opened her gift boutique Alligator Soup in The District at Green Valley Ranch 21/2 years ago. "To have someone else in Vegas use the name would be wrong. If I were (American Nevada Holdings), I'd sue."

Sadler wouldn't say if she planned to use Commercial Center Business Association fees to cover the legal costs if the case goes into a pricey legal battle.

"We'll see," she said.

Chung Park, owner of Golf Joy and a Commercial Center Business Association member, said it's worth spending association money if it means the center can hold on to its new name.

"They'll have to bear the burden, eventually," said Park, who added that he's confident Commercial Center will win a lawsuit. "I don't know why they're making a big deal of it. It's ludicrous in my mind."