A long-running lawsuit alleging major online travel companies underpaid Nevada hotel room taxes returned to Clark County District Court on Thursday, where attorneys focused on how broadly plaintiffs can pursue evidence under the False Claims Act.
Judge Mark Denton took arguments under submission following a procedural dispute over a motion to compel discovery responses tied to companies including Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline and Hotels.com.
The case, filed in 2020 by communications consultants Sig Rogich and Mark Fierro on behalf of the state, alleges the companies used a pricing structure that allowed them to charge consumers taxes based on retail room rates while remitting taxes to Nevada based on lower wholesale hotel rates, and, allegedly, retaining the difference.
