Bennetts win reversal in Lyon airport land fight

The Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower-court verdict against Silver Springs Airport manager Hale Bennett.

Bennett and his wife, Kay, a former Carson City supervisor, were accused of cheating Las Vegas developer John Hui of J.J. Industries out of a land deal. Hui claimed land owners Norman and Cheryle Kaye were in escrow to sell him 152 acres east of the Silver Springs airport when the Bennetts made a better offer.

They say they needed the property for "clear space" at the end of the runway and for eventual expansion of the airport runway. Hui said he planned to put a small mall and industrial space on the property.

A Yerington jury awarded Hui $598,000 in damages from the Kayes and $336,000 from the Bennetts.

They appealed to the Supreme Court, saying there was no intentional interference with Hui's contract, which they thought had been terminated.

Robert Eisenberg, representing the Bennetts, said they thought the deal with Hui had fallen through and that there was no justification for the huge punitive damage award.

"It boils down to a case where no logic and no evidence supports the verdict against Hale Bennett," he said.

The Supreme Court panel of Chief Justice Deborah Agosti and justices Bob Rose and Bill Maupin agreed there wasn't enough evidence to conclude Bennett intentionally interfered with Hui's contract to buy the land from the Kayes.

They tossed out the judgment against Bennett.

The court also concluded that the damage award against Kaye should be reduced to the difference between the $152,000 Hui was willing to pay and the $250,000 Bennett agreed to pay -- $98,000.