LVCVA Head Says Third Party – Courts – Can Resolve Dispute Between Lawsuit-Filing Businesses In Strip Area And Formula 1/Clark County
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The head of Las Vegas’ public tourism agency hopes a “third party” can resolve the legal disputes between Strip-area businesses that claim in lawsuits the controversial Formula One race cost them millions of dollars and race promoter F1 along with Clark County, which approved the road race.
By third party, LVCVA CEO Steve Hill means the courts.
LVSportsBiz.com spoke with Hill Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, where Hill was part of a press conference on two college basketball games being staged at the Raiders stadium in Nov. 2027.
Hill said “everyone wants to resolve” the legal disputes between four businesses in the Strip and the two defendants, Las Vegas Grand Prix promoter Formula One and Clark County.
Each of the four businesses have filed lawsuits against F1 and the county, alleging they have lost millions of dollars in revenue because of the county-approved Las Vegas Grand Prix and that the county violated their own event permit process by fast-tracking approvals for the inaugural road race nearly a year ago.
Hill said it will come down to a third party — the courts — to resolve the the legal disputes that LVSportsBiz.com forecasted in July.
The first lawsuit was filed by Ellis Island hotel-casino in May, before legal documents were filed by Ferraro’s Ristorante, Battista’s Hole in the Wall Restaurant and Stage Door Casino.
To be clear, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is not a defendant in any of the lawsuits.
But one of the lawsuits — one filed by Ellis Island — mentioned Hill when it alleged the Vegas race was conceived in a confidential letter of intent between Hill and Las Vegas Grand Prix head Renee Wilm in March 2022, with F1 then misleading Ellis Island, according to the lawsuit, on racetrack construction, road closures to access to its business.
The county commissioners greenlighted the F1 race based partially on Hill’s claims — and those of consultant Jeremy Aguero — that the Las Vegas Grand Prix would be an economic boon for Las Vegas. It turned out high-end hotels like Bellagio, Wynn and Caesars made money on the weekend, but other hotels in downtown and in the Vegas valley saw no benefits.
The disturbances to traffic, business and commerce were unprecedented in the Strip corridor because of the F1 race. F1 also holds races in Miami and Austin, but away from population and business centers in those markets.
The seven county commissioners have not commented much on the traffic jams and business disruptions caused by race’s vast preparations of installing concrete barriers, light mounts and fencing along the 3.8-mile track that privatizes the public roads.
Earlier this year in March when Clark County released an F1 race debriefing report, Commissioner Michael Naft said there were winners and losers.
And Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom recently told the Nevada Newsmakers Show, “I think overall the question we have to ask ourselves, is it worth it?” Segerblom also said businesses were clearly affected and asked whether the F1 race pain that locals and workers go through is worth the benefit of the grand prix.
