Nevada Supreme Court affirms ruling of $230K owed to IVGID

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - Years of legal battles between the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) and resident Aaron Katz appear to be drawing to a close after the Nevada Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a 2016 ruling that Katz pay almost $230,000 of attorney fees and costs.

In July 2016, the district court ordered Katz to pay IVGID $226,466.80 in attorney fees and $2,925.95 in costs incurred while defending "frivolous litigation" brought by Katz, according to Judge Patrick Flanagan at the time. The judge said in his ruling then that it all began with a "quest by Mr. Katz to invalidate the ($830) recreation fee he was required to pay as a resident of Incline Village that morphed into an obsession with obstructing the staff of IVGID with burdensome records requests and contentious litigation."

In his original lawsuit in 2011, Katz alleged that IVGID offered both discounted and free services to some non-resident groups and private parties for years and that in doing so violated state law. Katz demanded limits be set on what the district should be allowed to provide. That action began years of other lawsuits and unusual demands on IVGID staff for record requests.

The high court stated unequivocally, “The record supports the district court’s findings that Katz’s lawsuit was baseless and unreasonable … The record also supports the district court’s determination that Katz brought and maintained the lawsuit to harass IVGID.” The order concludes, “The district court did not abuse its discretion when it awarded IVGID $226,466.80 in attorney fees and $2,925.95 in costs, and therefore affirm the district court's order."

IVGID said that prior to filing the appeal, Katz paid them through the 2016 ruling.

They will be meeting in December to review attorney’s fees and additional costs accrued during the Nevada Supreme Court appeal process.