On September 5th, 2008, a judge could have stopped the Sumner County's casino project. Instead he ordered Harrah's Entertainment not to utilize a customer database it shares with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe to attract visitors to its casino in Mulvane for two years. Shawnee County District Judge David Bruns also ordered the two parties to try to solve their problems through mediation within the next thirty days to avoid any court proceedings. If the mediation will not work, the lawsuit filed by the Prairie tribe could proceed to trial and the casino project still could be blocked. Both sides commented that they are content with the limited injunction of the judge.
A lawyer for the Prairie Band tribe said that they are content with the injunction. Harrah's is just happy that the project was not blocked. Harrah's spokesperson Jacqueline Peterson said that they are happy that the judge's decision helped them to move forward with planning and design for the casino. The Prairie Band has sought an injunction to stop Harrah's from having any participation in the Sumner County casino.
Harrah's is a minor partner in the casino project with the Sumner Gaming and Resorts, which is not a defendant in the lawsuit. The injunction requested by the Prairie Band Tribe would destroy the ability of the join venture to meet its obligations with the state to construct and operate a casino. Bruns said that it is important for the court to exercise caution in this case that considers the rights of the plaintiff while protecting the rights of the defendants. The state's casino review board picked the joint entity to construct and manage the casino on August 22nd, 2008.
The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission have started background checks on two organizations and their personnel. A contract would not be given out until the commission starts the checks. The tribe's request for an injection was an initial step in a lawsuit that it has filed against Harrah's Entertainment. The lawsuit states that Harrah's violated a non-compete clause in an agreement that both sides signed when Harrah's stopped operating the tribe's casino in Mayetta last year.
09/15/2008 07:56 PM
Ann Pettersson