Lawyers are meant to have a good handle on a number of things, not the least of which is law – it is even included in their job title. However, a lawyer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ), currently facing a lawsuit by the Las Vegas Sun, seems to be misunderstanding that fundamental component. He has asserted in court that Sheldon Adelson, the owner of the LVRJ and casino giant Las Vegas Sands, isn’t the owner of LVRJ, even though it says so right in the newspaper.

The Sun launched its lawsuit this past September, arguing that the LVRJ was suppressing the Sun’s media coverage in violation of a standing agreement between the two entities. The two are now in court giving their side of the story and LVRJ attorney Randall Jones is reportedly trying to finagle a way to keep the newspaper out of trouble.

He told Clark County District Court Judge Timothy Williams that Adelson and Patrick Dumont, Adelson’s son-in-law and LVS chief financial officer, don’t actually have ownership of the newspaper and, therefore, the two shouldn’t have to provide any electronic documents (email, etc.) that have been requested by the Sun because “we haven’t identified who the owners are of the [LVRJ].”

That’s an odd statement, given that the identification is found on virtually every edition of the newspaper printed. Any time an article is run that contains mentions Adelson’s name or the LVS, the paper includes a disclaimer that reads, “The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.”