Nancy Bernstein, the second ex-wife of slain Las Vegas attorney Dennis Prince, has launched a new front in the fallout from the Summerlin law office shooting, filing a civil lawsuit that targets the Houston family and their former firm. The complaint, lodged this month, names Joseph Houston Law, the estate of Joseph "Joe" Houston, and Dylan and Katherine Houston as defendants. Bernstein is asking for a jury trial and damages, casting the case as an attempt to hold surviving family members and the business responsible for what she alleges were failures surrounding the April 8, 2024, deposition that ended in gunfire.
Bernstein’s complaint and who she sued
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Bernstein’s filing claims that during the deposition, Katherine Houston left the room and later took actions the complaint characterizes as concealment and self-interest. The lawsuit also alleges that Dylan Houston sent hostile communications to his ex-wife. Along with the individual family members, the now-closed Houston Law Firm is listed as a defendant, and Bernstein is asking a judge to send the case to a jury.
Alleged threats and warnings
Bernstein’s lawsuit, along with prior filings by the Prince family, focuses heavily on a series of texts and emails that Dylan Houston allegedly sent to Ashley Prince. Those messages included statements such as, “I don’t want to see you unless you’re in a casket” and “I will chisel you down to a weaker and worthless sack of bones.” Family attorneys and relatives told reporters that Ashley had repeatedly said she feared for her safety and had sought security measures during the custody dispute, according to KTNV.
Police report concluded shooter acted alone
Law enforcement reached a different conclusion on at least one key question. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s final homicide report states that investigators found no evidence Joseph Houston informed anyone of a plan to kill Dennis and Ashley Prince and concluded he acted alone, according to the police report described by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That official finding sits in tension with civil complaints that suggest other family members had prior knowledge or failed to step in.
Other civil cases tied to the shooting
Bernstein’s lawsuit is not the first civil case to grow out of the April 2024 killings. In February 2025, Ashley Prince’s parents, Paul and Julie Page, filed a wrongful-death complaint that also names Katherine Houston and accuses the family of knowledge and inaction. Coverage of those earlier filings has outlined claims including negligence, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. As reported by FOX5 Las Vegas, the Page case and related suits have already widened the civil fallout from the Summerlin shooting.
Legal implications
Civil actions like Bernstein’s can result in monetary judgments if plaintiffs prove that defendants owed a duty, breached that duty and caused harm, but they are separate from any criminal investigation and do not carry criminal penalties. Through discovery, the lawsuits can force the release of documents and testimony that may spur additional filings or lead to settlements, all of it playing out under Nevada civil law in Clark County courts.
With Bernstein now entering the legal fray, the Summerlin shooting continues to shift from a closed police case into an extended battle in civil court. The matter moves next into the procedural stages of Clark County District Court, where the defendants will formally respond. For Las Vegas residents and the families at the center of it, the new complaint is another chapter in a tragedy that still reverberates through the city’s legal community.
