North Las Vegas approves roughly $2.9 million settlement over Fire Station 53 defects; council also signs off on two other settlements

The North Las Vegas City Council on Oct. 15 authorized settlements to resolve multiple legal matters, including a construction-defect case tied to Fire Station 53 that yielded nearly $3 million in recoveries after years of litigation.

Deputy City Attorney Chris Craft described the Fire Station 53 lawsuit, which involved a station completed July 1, 2009. Beginning around 2018, the city found cracking and sinking; engineers estimated repairs could exceed $5 million. Craft said the Legislature extended Nevada’s statute of repose for construction-defect claims from six to 10 years in 2019, which allowed the city to file and pursue claims that otherwise would have been time-barred.

After hard-fought litigation and mediation, design defendants agreed to pay $2,500,000 and construction-related defendants to pay $450,000, producing about $2,950,000 in recoveries. Craft told the council the parties negotiated a settlement figure of $2,900,000 that the city attorney’s office recommended for approval.

Council then approved the settlement authorization. City staff thanked outside counsel and internal teams for their work on the case; officials said the station has been repaired and is operational.

The council also approved two other settlements on the consent calendar: a $290,000 payment from Chong Liu to resolve litigation and outstanding attorney-fee awards related to cases involving former mayor John Lee and former city manager Ryan Jutting, and an $85,000 payment from the city’s self-insurance fund to resolve a vehicle-accident claim involving a pedestrian in October 2022.

City Attorney Andy Moore and other staff framed the settlements as closure on long-running matters and recommended acceptance to avoid further appeals and additional legal costs.