Ellis Island damages case against F1 heard in court | Casinos & Gambling

Court proceedings over damages for a casino near the 2023 Formula One Grand Prix track continued Thursday, with a Clark County judge ruling that more information is needed to determine whether the case can proceed.

The owners of the Ellis Island hotel-casino, an off-track property just north of the Formula One Paddock Building on Koval Lane, filed a lawsuit in April against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Clark County seeking damages for the impact of the inaugural race event. In the lawsuit, the owners claim they lost millions of dollars because race-related roadwork — which took place months before the November 2023 event dates — blocked access to the hotel-casino.

Attorneys for the race and the county asked the Eighth Judicial District Court to dismiss the case at the hearing.

“The problem is that even though we may have had real frustrations with traffic and access during the construction of all the improvements that were necessary for the 2023 Grand Prix race, even during the race, those inconveniences — even if they impacted their business — are not compensable under our constitution,” Clark County attorney Agnes Hanley argued to Judge Joanna Kishner.

Kishner did rule that the company's lawyers must provide more details in their complaints to demonstrate why the cases should continue.

For example, Ellis Island attorneys have argued that race officials intentionally obstructed access to Ellis Island in violation of Nevada law. But the law specifies that “total obstruction” is illegal, and the complaint does not detail instances of total lack of access to the site. Kishner ruled that the suit could proceed, but that it needed to be clarified.

It is not yet known when the parties will meet again in court. The lawyers have agreed to confer and submit to the court deadlines for filing an amended complaint and other related documents.

Ellis Island is not the only company seeking financial redress for losses suffered during F1. On Tuesday, lawyers for Battista's Hole in the Wall Italian restaurant and the Stage Door Casino, located behind the Flamingo, filed a similar lawsuit seeking damages for the “millions” of dollars lost due to the impact of roadwork blocking access to the property on Linq Lane.

Contact McKenna Ross at [email protected]. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.