Court: Land condemnation ruling should be reduced

Tuesday, July 17, 2001 | 9:13 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has agreed that a $1.5 million land condemnation judgment involving property near the Las Vegas Strip should be reduced.

The court sent the case back to District Judge Mark Gibbons to adjust the jury's verdict for Plane Realty Corp., which owned the parcel that Clark County sought for the Hacienda-Koval interconnection. New values will be placed on the property.

The high court decision favoring the county, issued Friday, said the value of the property should have been established as of the date the condemnation suit was filed, not two years later, when the trial started.

The court also said Gibbons should have ordered the pre-judgment interest on the award to start in November 1994, rather than in April 1993.

The court said Gibbons was wrong in awarding extra costs for expert witnesses and the appraisal reporting 1992.

In a second case, the court overturned a $2.1 million default judgment against Sasson Rejwan in favor of Rebel Oil Co., over the Green Valley Business Center at Sunset and Pecos in Henderson.

The court said a default judgment against Rejwan was justified because he did not attend two early mandatory case conferences. Rejwan, at that time, was representing himself.