Embattled country club claims insurers abandoned it amid lawsuits

Former servers sued Hillcrest Golf & Country Club, but companies won't defend

A Yankton country club that has been sued by three former servers who allege they were encouraged to engage in sexual contact with guests has itself filed a lawsuit.

Hillcrest Golf & Country Club is suing Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. as well as Depositors Insurance Co. – one of Nationwide’s companies – because they have refused to provide a defense in the lawsuits filed by the waitresses.

Hillcrest contends that it had valid liability insurance policies from Nationwide and Depositors at the time of the incidents, which occurred in the spring of 2022. After being notified in June that the waitresses were filing claims, Hillcrest sought to invoke the insurance policies. The policies cover damages and include a “duty defend.”

NEWS: Abortion fight led to transparency law that group hopes to overturn