The Cowlitz Indian tribe of Washington state, operators of the ilani Casino, have been ordered by a Superior Court judge of Clark County to turn over security video showing a man being beaten.
The tribe has resisted turning over the video, claiming that as a sovereign nation it is not subject to the state’s open records act, and also that the video compromises its security. A tribal attorney also argued
The surveillance video shows a man, Richard Christie, allegedly being assailed at the casino by a group of people who were all attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship event. He was knocked unconscious by the beating. Christie originally requested the video, and then withdrew the request after he and the Sheriff’s Department was sued by the tribe.
Then another individual, Vancouver lawyer D. Angus Lee requested the footage under an open records request. The tribe then sued him.
In ordering the tribe to produce the video, the judge granted its request for a delay of two weeks to allow an appeal.
Christie initially requested the video so he could identify his attackers because he was knocked out so quickly.
The Sheriff’s office investigated the beating and requested the video, which the casino granted. Christie then filed the request to get his own copy. His request was about to be granted on October 30, when the tribe sued to block it.
The tribe argued that to do so would “expose it to potential criminal activity” and put its employees at risk. It also claimed to be immune from the state’s open records laws. In its brief to the court the tribe argued “The security of a casino is significantly compromised when the surveillance capabilities are made known to the public.”
