By Scott Sonner, AP

RENO — The Nevada Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a longtime Lake Tahoe lawyer who’s been trying for a decade to gain public access to private beaches on the lake’s tony North Shore.

The high court on Monday upheld an earlier Washoe District Court ruling that the Incline Village General Improvement District has the right to restrict access to the exclusive beach property it purchased in 1968.

Steve Kroll, who lives in neighboring Crystal Bay, first filed a lawsuit over the restrictions in 2008.

He argued in his latest challenge he’s entitled to access because Crystal Bay merged with the district in 1995 and all dues-paying members should be treated equally.

The Supreme Court disagreed, citing earlier rulings against Kroll by a federal judge in Reno and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.