U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone said she may not issue a ruling until later this year regarding whether the Tiguas should be held in civil contempt for allegedly violating a 2001 injunction forbidding the tribe from offering gambling at its Speaking Rock Entertainment Center in El Paso.
Cardone called the case a “never-ending saga” and said, “We need this case to get resolved. She said she will schedule a final hearing in the contempt case in October so attorneys for the state, the Tiguas and four third-party sweepstakes vendors will have enough time to file motions.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott alleges the Tiguas have violated a Sept. 27, 2001 injunction and asked Cardone to award remedies including stopping all business operations at Speaking Rock, formerly the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo’s Speaking Rock Casino, and at the Socorro Entertainment Center, except for concert ticket sales. Officials also have called for removing all electronic equipment being used as gaming devices and imposing a civil penalty of $500 a day since July 30, 2009, totaling more than $750,000.
In addition, the Attorney General’s office wants Cardone to order the tribe to pay nearly $58,000 for “undercover investigations” that allegedly found evidence that the two properties are actually casinos.
Attorney Randolph Barnhouse, representing the Tiguas, said, “These are entertainment centers where people can attend concerts or have dinner, and they are not required to make a donation.” The entertainment centers are in compliance with federal laws and are not casinos, he stated. Barnhouse also noted the eight-liner games qualify as sweepstakes conducted by third-party national vendors seeking donations for the tribe. “We’d like to work with the state of Texas to come up with some way to keep having the case come up before the judge,” he said.
