Former Badlands owner sues county for $8M ‘unlawfully collected’ property taxes

Clark County “unlawfully collected” more than $8 million in property taxes and fees for the defunct Badlands golf course, according to a lawsuit filed by the former landowner of the 250 acres.

The suit to recover the costs was filed in District Court in April and has attached the city of Las Vegas as plaintiffs because of the city’s “significant monetary interest in the outcome” of the case, according to a court order. The city paid a percentage of the taxes on the course.

The property — previously owned by CEO Yohan Lowie’s EHB Cos. — was subject to years of litigation in which the company alleged that the city condemned the land by not allowing the developer to build an expansive housing project.

In a three-party, $636 million deal that closed earlier this year, the city agreed to pay EHB $286 million for its subsidiaries to dismiss pending lawsuits.

The deal saw Lennar take over the golf course for $350 million for its own 1,480-unit housing project.

EHB paid about $1 million a year in property taxes between the summer of 2017 to early 2024, when the lawsuits were ongoing, the complaint said.

Multiple courts ruled that the city had taken the golf course.

“Under Nevada law, property which has been taken by the government, or which is owned by the government, or which is used by the public for a park is exempt from taxation,” the complaint said.

No taxes were paid from August 2024 to March 2025, accruing a bill of about $1.3 million, the complaint said.

“In advance of the sale, the City and the Landowners jointly asked the County to remove the property taxes which were unlawfully assessed on the 250 Acres so that the sale could close,” the complaint said. “The County refused.”

EHB and the city agreed to pay the outstanding fees “under protest,” the complaint said.

The complaint said the developer’s tax responsibility ended when the city condemned the golf course in 2017.

The county declined to comment on pending litigation. The law firm representing EHB’s subsidiaries, 180 Land and Seventy Acres, did not immediately return inquiries seeking comment.

EHB in May filed a motion to include the city in the suit “as an indispensable party to the litigation because of the property tax issues,” the city noted in a statement.

“The judge ordered the city into the case,” the statement said. “The reason for the judge’s order, simply put, is that Clark County may be required to reimburse previously collected property taxes from the property to 180 Land and the city.”

The motion was granted last month, court records show.

The lawsuit is seeking reimbursements, compound interests, attorney fees and “further relief as the Court deems just and equitable under the circumstances.”

A previous version of the story wrongly stated the city of Las Vegas’ involvement in the lawsuit. The city was instead included as a plaintiff.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.