Minnesota Judge Rules in Favor of Tribal Casinos in Lawsuit

A lawsuit in Minnesota, filed over the alleged offering of illegal games by tribal operators, reached a dead end earlier this week. That is the case for a legal dispute filed by the operator of a harness racing track and a simulcast racing and poker room, Running Aces Casino Hotel and Racetrack.

District Court Judge Dismisses Lawsuit

Initially, the legal claim was filed by the operator and named more than two dozen executives from two federally recognized Native American Tribes, the Prairie Island Indian Community and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Subsequently, the legal claim was revised with the addition of casino executives from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

Ultimately, the lawsuit alleged that the tribal operators offered card games that violated the federal and state gambling laws. The executives were named defendants in the lawsuit, considering that they represented the tribal operators of the five tribal casinos that allegedly offered illegal games.

In an unexpected turn of events for Running Aces, a federal district court judge recently dismissed the lawsuit filed against the tribal casino executives, MPR News reports. The decision came on Tuesday by US District Court Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz.

In his ruling to dismiss the lawsuit, the judge acknowledged that the Native American Tribes were not named in the lawsuit. Moreover, Judge Schiltz recognized that the executives named as defendants in the lawsuit did not act on behalf of the tribal nations that own and manage the casinos. As a result, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice. This means that if Running Aces considers refiling the lawsuit, they would be able to do so.

The Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council Agrees with the Decision

Grant Johnson, the president of the Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council, who was also named defendant in the recent lawsuit, praised the latest decision. He explained that the Tribe is pleased with the outcome of the legal claim. “We agree with the decision by Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz that the lawsuit was improperly brought against our employees and Tribal leaders,” Johnson explained.

Lawsuits involving Native American Tribes can be difficult to progress. This is because federally recognized tribes usually have their own courts, laws and legal structure due to their sovereign status. In other words, disputes involving tribal nations need to be resolved in their courts as they have immunity in state courts.

Recently, a Minnesota man avoided prison in a proxy gaming case. The man who ran a gambling scheme with the help of Discord and TikTok, was placed on probation and received a fine. This happened after he entered into a guilty plea, enabling him to avoid jail time.