LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The price tag for Las Vegas taxpayers footing the bill in the ongoing legal battle over the defunct Badlands golf course increased by $141 million this week.
A judge awarded developer Yohan Lowie the additional sum in a court ruling on Monday, bringing the total awarded to the Badlands owner to $223 million and counting.
We've tracked this case since 2018. At issue is the 250-acre defunct Badlands Golf Course in the area of Alta Drive and Rampart Boulevard in Queensridge, one of the Las Vegas valley's wealthiest and most exclusive communities.
Lowie bought the property in 2015 and was in the process of developing luxury homes and condominiums on the land, which was zoned for residential development.
But, as 13 Investigates first exposed in 2018, high-powered Queensridge homeowners fought the plan, which effectively halted any development of the Badlands.
After years of litigation, the courts determined the city was in the wrong by preventing Lowie from building houses on the property.
The years-long legal dispute has included at least four lawsuits against the City of Las Vegas.
So far, Lowie has won three of the four lawsuits he's filed against the city. And the price tag for Las Vegas taxpayers grows higher with each decision in his favor.
He's been awarded $82 million in previous cases already. That brings the total cost now to more than $220 million — not including interest and attorneys' fees.
The legal cases have seen the 250-acre Badlands property divided up into multiple parcels, with separate lawsuits filed to litigate specific issues in each parcel.
The total awarded to Lowie so far covers about 117 acres, which is less than half the total property in dispute. Another 133-acre parcel has yet to be valued. Based on previous cases, the final amount could come close to half a billion dollars.
Earlier this month, city leaders approved an additional $1.5 million for legal representation in the ongoing Badlands litigation.
The City of Las Vegas declined to comment on the most recent Badlands ruling, citing ongoing litigation. The City has already appealed a judge's ruling in a previous case, which is still pending in Nevada Supreme Court.
