Supreme Court refuses to intervene in brothel fight

The Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to intervene in the battle over a proposed new brothel in northern Storey County.

DP Operating Partnership, a real estate development company, went to court to block Storey County from allowing Reno developer Lance Gilman to build and operate the Wild Horse Canyon Ranch and Spa near the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center.

The suit was rejected by District Judge Bill Maddox, who denied a motion to overturn the Storey County Commission decision to approve the brothel. DP lawyers Gary Duhon and Leif Reid said Storey commissioners violated their own ordinances in approving the plan.

They argued that the brothel would breach the agreement with Tahoe-Reno Indiustrial Center.

But Judge Maddox said he had no reason to overturn the Storey County decision.

"The Storey County licensing board has broad discretionary powers to grant or deny applications for licenses to operate a brothel in Storey County," Maddox wrote.

DP went to the Supreme Court seeking an order directing Storey County to comply with the ordinances the developers claim it violated in approving Wild Horse Canyon Ranch.

"We have considered the petition and we are not satisfied that this court's intervention by way of extraordinary relief is warranted," the high court wrote Wednesday.

The order says DP has a "plain, speedy and adequate remedy in the form of an appeal taken from the district court's Feb. 25, 2002 order."

In effect, that tells DP lawyers to proceed through the normal appellate process if they want to overturn the county decision.