Litigation is still ongoing – and may continue for years – over whether MGM Resorts International or contractor Tutor Perini was at fault for the construction defects that left the Harmon a hollow, truncated stump. The trial hasn’t even started and already the motions and appeals seem to be taking forever. "Demolition of the Harmon has been delayed by legal issues now pending before the Nevada Supreme Court," writes MGM spokesman Alan Feldman. "The timeframe for resolution of these issues is unknown at this time." Ain’t that the truth?
MGM would like to tear the Harmon down sooner rather than later. However, Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez rejected MGM’s employment of "extrapolation techniques," whereby the safety of the building’s 1,369 structural components could be evaluated on the basis of 397 of them. Gonzalez found MGM’s selection method insufficiently random, a ruling that MGM has appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court. The good news for the company was that Gonzalez decreed that, once further testing is completed, the company could begin dismantling the tower – a process expected to take the better part of two years.
