Bill Gates’s Caribbean resort hit with $100-million lawsuit over fire-ravaged buildings, trash and alleged neglect

According to Forbes, the local homeowners’ association claims the resort is littered with trash, that the pool tiles are falling off, golf carts and gym equipment don’t work, the water shuts down during dry season and a fitness center and pro shop that burned down in 2022 remains a fenced-off ruin.

And while this may sound like first-world rich people problems, Forbes says the 66 homeowners allegedly paid “more than $20 million in management and club fees since 2013 for repairs that were never done.” The lawsuit also alleges that the Four Seasons itself claimed that $65 million in resort repairs were needed.

The homeowners, Forbes added, accuse Nevis Peak of failing “to meet its obligations … to the detriment of the Homeowners’ use and enjoyment of the Resort and the value of their properties for sale and rental” and, thus, want ownership to pay out $100 million in damages if they don’t make the desired upgrades.

The Four Seasons resort at the heart of the dispute — and Nevis’ economy

Bill Gates’s Cascade Investment LLC not only owns Nevis Peak, but a 71.3% stake in the Four Seasons hotel chain — a deal valued at more than $2 billion when it was finalized in 2021.

Neither Cascade nor the Four Seasons Nevis replied to Moneywise’s request for comment, but Cascade did tell Forbes in a statement that it will “vigorously defend itself against the claims, which it believes are entirely without merit.” Moneywise was unable to immediately reach Nevis Peak or the homeowners’ association.

The Four Seasons Nevis, meanwhile, serves as the island’s largest hotel and a centerpiece of the tourism industry that fuels the local economy.

That importance landed front and center during the COVID-19 pandemic when, after a temporary closure, the island’s premier and minister of tourism, Mark Brantley, declared upon the reopening that “It is time that we get our people back to work and our economy moving again.”

The resort also faced a temporary closure in 2019 for renovations, leading the local government to subsidize the salaries of 361 employees, as well as school expenses for their children.

It’s unclear at this time how the lawsuit could impact the resort and its workers.

Earlier this year, however, Andia Ravariere, the CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority, promoted the island’s “barefoot luxury,” natural beauty and notoriety as the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton.

However, to paraphrase the musical about the founding father, the Four Seasons Nevis homeowners aren’t willing to throw away their shot at forcing what they say are much needed upgrades that they’ve long since paid for.