Court says man can sue over car stolen from valet parking

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a man whose car was stolen from Sunset Station’s valet parking in 2006 can sue the hotel for damages, even though he received an insurance settlement.

Marcos Arguello drove his vehicle to the casino, gave his keys to an attendant and received a claim ticket. A few hours later, Arguello tried to retrieve his vehicle from the valet, but found it had been stolen.

The vehicle was stripped and found the following day, according to court records. Arguello received a $20,434 settlement from Farmers Insurance Group, but he sued seeking more than $10,000 from Sunset Station for the loss of “use of his vehicle and the cost of customizations made to the vehicle.”

District Judge Timothy Williams had ruled in favor of Sunset Station, but the Supreme Court ruled the casino was not shielded “from liability.”

The Supreme Court said Arguello can sue the hotel for the full amount of loss.