Thursday, June 2, 2011 | 12:24 p.m.
Map of Sunset Station Hotel Casino
CARSON CITY – The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that a man whose car was stolen from Sunset Station's valet parking area can sue the hotel-casino for damages, even though he got an insurance settlement.
The court said the law doesn't shield the company from liability.
In 2006, Marcos Arguello drove his vehicle to the casino, gave his keys to a valet attendant and received a claim ticket. A few hours later he sought to retrieve his vehicle from the valet parking lot, but it had been stolen.
The vehicle was found stripped the following day in Clark County. Arguello received a $20,434 settlement from Farmers Insurance, but he filed suit in district court seeking damages of more than $10,000 from Sunset Station for the loss of use of his vehicle and the added cost of restoring his car.
District Judge Timothy C. Williams entered a summary judgment in favor of Sunset Station, but the Supreme Court ruled the hotel wasn't shielded from liability.
The Supreme Court said Arguello can sue Sunset Station for the full amount of his loss. If the courts order Sunset to pay the full amount of the loss, Farmers might be able to recover the money paid to Arguello.
The court said, “We hold that based upon the plain language of the statute, (the law) does not shield a hotel from civil liability arising from the theft of or damage to a guest’s motor vehicle.”
Sunset Station features a 457-room hotel with 70 luxury suites, a casino, restaurants, a showroom, a movie theater and a bowling center on more than 98 acres in the heart of Henderson. It's located across from the Galleria at Sunset Mall and is also just a few minutes away by car from Lake Mead, Lake Las Vegas, Sam Boyd Stadium, golf courses and recreation areas.
The casino offers 110,000 square feet of gaming space, with more than 2,400 slot machines, more than 200 video poker machines, 39 gaming tables, a 300-seat race and sports book, a 488-seat bingo room, a keno lounge and an eight-table poker room.
Family-friendly features include a 13-screen movie theater and a 72-lane bowling center.
Restaurants include the Sonoma Cellar, for steaks and seafood; Cabo, for authentic Mexican food; Pasta Cucina for authentic Italian cuisine and the Oyster Bar, for Louisiana seafood and oysters. The 300-seat showroom hosts top names in entertainment as well as regular cover bands.
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