Insurer Seeks Delay in Landmark Wyoming Hotel Arson Suit

An insurance company is asking a federal judge in Cheyenne to delay a lawsuit over a disputed insurance claim in a 2010 fire that destroyed a landmark Wyoming hotel.

National Security Corp. has asked U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal to delay acting on a lawsuit in which the insurance company accuses the owners of the Hitching Post Inn, CJM Hospitality LLC, of intentionally burning the hotel to collect $13.6 million in insurance money.

Federal authorities recently charged a New Mexico man with arson in connection with the fire. The hotel had been a favorite lodge and watering hole for Wyoming lawmakers for decades.

Lawyers for CJM have told Freudenthal they oppose National Security Corp.’s request to delay action on the civil lawsuit while the criminal charges are pending.