This article originally appeared in the Phoenix Business Journal.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled today in favor of a deal between Arizona State University and Omni Hotels & Resorts.
This ruling is in response to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office’s 2019 lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents, challenging the practice of using its tax-exempt status for private businesses.
The AGO had alleged that ABOR — which oversees the state’s three public universities, including ASU — lacks the statutory authority to grant tax exemptions to private businesses and developments, such as the hotel deal at the southeast corner of University Drive and Mill Avenue in Tempe.