After U.S. District Court Judge Joan Ericksen dismissed Club Nomadic’s lawsuit against Mystic Lake Casino, stating the court had no authority over a sovereign Native American tribe, Club Nomadic dropped its lawsuit. The suit accused Dakota February Events, Mystic Lake’s events company, of breach of contract after casino officials abruptly canceled Club Nomadic’s pop-up concert venue before last week’s Super Bowl.
Club Nomadic had spent $2.4 million on the Las Vegas-style nightclub before the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, owners of Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota, announced on January 12 that Club Nomadic’s planned 4-day event “would not be up to our standards of quality.” Now Club Nomadic must spend an additional $1 million to dismantle the 65,000 square foot temporary structure in the casino’s parking lot. Construction had begun last fall and was mostly completed by early January, including concrete floors, winterized metallic walls and VIP balconies.
Concerts by Gwen Stefani, Florida Georgia Line, the Chainsmokers and Kygo were moved inside the casino and downsized, and ticket prices were slashed. The performance series had been expected to attract thousands of Super Bowl visitors to the casino, located about a half-hour from U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
Dakota February Events said Nomadic breached its contract by failing to obtain a certificate of occupancy by a January 1 deadline. Nomadic blamed the casino for intentionally delaying the project. Willie Hardacker, general counsel for Dakota February Events, said the company was fully within its right to terminate the contract and would “vigorously defend that decision.” He noted, “The court rightfully had concerns about whether it had jurisdiction over this dispute.”
Without offering any details, Hardacker added Dakota February Events had “claims against Nomadic, and we will pursue those over the coming weeks.”
