Zahavi v. State
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Appellant was convicted for violations of Nevada’s so-called bad check statute (“the statute”) when 14 casino markers totaling $384,000 payable to four Las Vegas casinos were returned for insufficient funds. On appeal, Appellant argued that (1) the district court erred when it refused to instruct the jury that a casino’s knowledge of insufficient funds negates the intent-to-defraud element under the statute or, alternatively, constitutes an affirmative defense; and (2) the statute violates the Nevada Constitution. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) because the casinos had no present knowledge of Appellant’s insufficiency of funds at the time the markers were executed, there was no evidence to negate the intent-to-defraud element, and therefore, the district court did not err by refusing the instruction; (2) Defendant was not entitled to an instruction on an affirmative defense; and (3) the statute is constitutional.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.