Hotel land dispute goes to trial
MINDEN -- Opening arguments were aired Wednesday in a trial of a long-standing dispute between Horizon hotel-casino operators and Park Cattle Co., which owns the land under the club on Lake Tahoe's south shore and wants to evict the operators.
The litigation dates to late 2005, when Park Cattle claimed a breach of a land lease agreement and the operator, a Columbia-Sussex Corp. affiliate, alleged a harassment campaign by Park.
Lawyers for the operators contend that Park Cattle, a Nevada real estate company, wants to take over the casino and that there are no safety issues amounting to a breach of the lease.
Park Cattle Co. officials claimed in 2005 that the operators were advised of various problems but only agreed to make repairs so that legal troubles wouldn't hold up their purchase of Caesars Tahoe, now the MontBleu. Park also owns the land under that property.
Maintenance issues alleged by Park at the Horizon included mold growth, biological contamination in the heating ventilation and air conditioning, asbestos-containing construction materials, stagnant water in the stage lift pit of a former showroom, and unregistered underground storage tanks.
