The Nevada Supreme Court dismissed a community group’s consolidated appeals for a legal review of an upcoming Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in northwest Las Vegas.
In the same Sept. 14 order, the state’s highest court declined to review the project and left in place the lower court’s dismissal and its more than $55,000 in attorney fees owed to the city of Las Vegas, the defendant in the case.
The legal battle began after the city greenlighted a new 70,000-square-foot temple on 20 acres at Hickman Avenue and Grand Canyon Drive, near Lone Mountain, in 2024.
Opposing residents argued that the development would disrupt the rural makeup of their neighborhood. They created the Nevada Rural Preservation Alliance nonprofit and made their case before Clark County District Court.
Judge Ronald Israel dismissed the petition for judicial review last year, ruling that the nonprofit lacked standing because it was “not an aggrieved party under Nevada law” because the group did not exist during the project’s approval process.
The nonprofit appealed both rulings to the Supreme Court, which later consolidated the appeals and referred the case to mediation in 2025. A court clerk in a filing wrote that the city and the residents couldn’t reach an agreement.
As the case proceeded this summer, the Nevada Rural Preservation Alliance lost its legal team and was given a deadline to appoint an attorney.
The plaintiffs did not respond in time, and the appeal was dismissed.
The Nevada Rural Preservation Alliance could not be reached for comment.
However, the attorneys’ fees came up last week during a City Council meeting when one of the nonprofit members, Sue Kristensen, got up to speak about an unrelated topic.
After her remarks, Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske read Kristensen an order that had granted the city $55,759.
“When can we expect payment?” asked the councilwoman. Kristensen said the group did not have any money because it is a nonprofit.
A separate lower court judge in 2025 dismissed a lawsuit that alleged that the city had violated open meeting laws when it reviewed the temple project. That complaint was filed by a group of residents, including Kristensen.
Construction of the Lone Mountain Nevada Temple began a year ago, according to the church’s website.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
