Judge allows waitress to gather evidence for case against Gibbons

LAS VEGAS (AP) " A federal judge is giving a former Las Vegas cocktail waitress the go-ahead to collect evidence for a federal lawsuit accusing Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons of violating her civil rights.

But U.S. Magistrate Peggy Leen also refused Tuesday to let plaintiff Chrissy Mazzeo's lawyer question the governor and other defendants directly, until a judge decides if the case should proceed.

Mazzeo now lives in California. She alleges in a lawsuit filed last October that Gibbons assaulted her in a Las Vegas parking garage shortly before the 2006 election, and that campaign advisers and Las Vegas police covered it up.

Gibbons lawyer Pat Lundvall calls the allegations groundless.

Mazzeo lawyer Robert Kossack told Leen he needs to identify witnesses and gather records before they disappear.