Businessman Doug Hamilton is getting sued again, this time for his failure to pay $1.3 million for a south Rapid City property.

Local developer Doyle Estes wants Hamilton to pay what he promised for the 7 acres of land that sits north of Catron Boulevard and to the east of Highway 16.

Hamilton signed a purchase agreement with Estes and Catron Boulevard Investors II LLC for the land in May 2007. Businessman Pat Hall is that firm's managing member, according to filings with the state. The land is currently listed by Estes for $2.6 million.

County officials tried to find Hamilton to serve him with the lawsuit, but he has proven hard to locate.

In the certificate of service filed with the court, county constable Robert Grass detailed numerous attempts to contact Hamilton over a period of weeks by visiting his house on Flormann Street. Hamilton had yet to respond to messages passed to him by his maintenance man and lawyer, Grass told the court.

"It is apparent to a reasonable person that Hamilton has knowledge that I'm attempting to serve him and is not making himself available to me," Grass stated.

According to documents filed with the court, Hamilton personally guaranteed the purchase of the property by Cotton & Hawley LP 1. Cotton & Hawley is just one of the corporate identities of Hamilton, who controlled his properties and buildings through a web of corporations and limited partnerships.

Hamilton's businesses crumbled late last year under the weight of past-due loans and unpaid back taxes. Squeezed by a tight credit market and a failed attempt to bring another Wal-Mart to Rapid City, Hamilton couldn't cover payments on millions of dollars in mortgages on numerous real estate and rental properties in Rapid City and the Black Hills.

Contact Jeremy Fugleberg at 394-8421 or jeremy.fugleberg@rapidcityjournal.com