North Fork Rancheria sues California for off-reservation casino

Filed Under: California | Casino Stalker | Compacts | Litigation 
More on: bia, california, chukchansi, dc, doi, elections, enterprise, jerry brown, north fork, off-reservation 

The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians sued the state of California on Tuesday over an off-reservation casino that has failed to take flight.

The tribe and the state signed a Class III gaming compact for the casino but votersrejected it at the polls last November. The tribe then asked to negotiate another agreement but the state is refusing to come to the table, according to the lawsuit.

"By refusing to honor the existing compact and refusing to negotiate to enter into a new tribal-state gaming compact, the state has breached its obligation" to deal in good faith, the tribe argues in the complaint.

The tribe is asking the court to order the state to negotiate, a process that could include mediation. But if that fails, the tribe argues that it is entitled to Class III gaming procedures from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The suit joins two other cases in federal court regarding the project. The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, whose leaders oppose the North Fork casino, andStand Up For California are suing the federal government over the land-into-trust application and the compact that were approved by the BIA.