High court says taxpayers may have overpaid in condemnation
Monday, April 12, 1999 | 10:39 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has voided a $9 million judgment awarded owners of two parcels that were condemned for the expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The high court said the jury was given wrong instructions and that taxpayers may have paid too much.
The case now returns to District Court for another trial on the value of the property owned by Briant Buckwalter, John R. Reese and several others.
At the April 1996 trial, experts for the landowners pegged the "highest price" at between $9 million and $9.7 million on grounds its best use would be as a hotel across the street from the convention center.
Appraisers for Clark County suggested the "most probable price" of the property, which contained apartment units, at $4.5 million. They claimed the parcel was too small for a casino and its best use was probably a retail-restaurant facility.
The court said District Judge Don Chairez "blatantly" ignored the law when he gave an instruction to the jury that it must consider the fair market value of the property as the "highest price" for the land.
The Supreme Court decision, written by Chief Justice Bob Rose and filed Friday, said Chairez was wrong when he declared unconstitutional the state law setting the "most probable price" standard.
"Using the 'highest price' instruction probably cost the taxpayers more than $5 million in this case because the landowners' valuation was based on a casino being built on the property, a scenario that was not probable," Rose said.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Ensign moves out of home on C Street
- Cada and Moon emerge as Main Event’s final two
- Fight snapshot: Reviewing “24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto,” episode 3
- Life in the Limelight: Wayne Newton
- Cities, county find buying valley homes isn’t easy
- Motorcyclist dies in Summerlin crash
- UNLV wins hoops scrimmage at Long Beach State
- Six people share their stories of what led them to jobs at CityCenter
- Fedor Emelianenko TKOs Brett Rogers in second round
- Two injured in shooting in central valley
Blogs
Elsewhere
Findlay Prep's Bradley fitting in at Texas
Now and Then
I went to a hockey game and a New Mexico women's soccer match broke out
Politics: The Early Line
Attention in D.C. focuses on health care proposals
Elsewhere
Fedor v. Rogers delivers solid ratings on CBS (4 Comments)
Bloggity, Bloggity, Bloggity
If you can rebuild the whole car, then why not allow an engine change? (1 Comment)
Sports: Upon Further Review
Fight snapshot: Pacquiao is a hit with Jimmy Kimmel, and vice versa (2 Comments)
The Greene Room
MWC Winners and Losers: Week 10
Calendar »
- 9 Mon
- 10 Tue
- 11 Wed
- 12 Thu
- 13 Fri
-
Jo Dee Messina at the House of Blues
House of Blues | 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
The Revival Tour at Beauty Bar
Beauty Bar | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
DJ Tina T at Prive
Prive | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
The Automatic Tour at The Square Apple
The Square Apple
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati








