{"id":106147,"date":"2019-06-02T06:29:27","date_gmt":"2019-06-02T13:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=106147"},"modified":"2019-06-02T06:46:57","modified_gmt":"2019-06-02T13:46:57","slug":"resumed-courtroom-battle-over-stalled-marthas-vineyard-casino-focuses-on-legal-technicality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/resumed-courtroom-battle-over-stalled-marthas-vineyard-casino-focuses-on-legal-technicality\/","title":{"rendered":"Resumed Courtroom Battle Over Stalled Martha\u2019s Vineyard Casino Focuses on Legal Technicality"},"content":{"rendered":"

A proposed gambling hall on Martha\u2019s Vineyard has once again wound up in Boston federal court with the town of Aquinnah demanding the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head gets a local building permit before construction takes place.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Scenic Martha’s Vineyard is the subject of a resumed courtroom battle over a stalled tribal casino. (Image: Seastreak Ferries)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lawyers representing the Massachusetts island town told U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV Friday the tribe needs to apply for the permit from the town. Issuance would be contingent upon the plans complying with local zoning and building regulations.<\/p>\n

Attorneys representing the tribe countered that federal courts already ruled the Wampanoag can open and operate the casino on their own land. Also, the tribe has argued it is compliant with relevant rules set out by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.<\/p>\n

Saylor heard arguments from both sides on Friday. No word when he will issue a ruling.<\/p>\n

Let me start by saying that I view this as an entirely technical question of law,\u201d Saylor told the courtroom, according to the\u00a0Vineyard Gazette<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The hearing was attended by many members of the Aquinnah homeowners\u2019 association. They apparently want the tribe to apply for the permit before construction can commence.<\/p>\n

Also attending were members of the Wampanoag tribal council and representatives from Global Gaming Solutions. It is a Chickasaw Nation company which has partnered with the tribe.<\/p>\n

One pressing legal issue is that there was no final judgement made on the case in 2015 when the judge first ruled. Because of that, the First Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017 overturned Saylor\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would not hear the case. That let the appeal\u2019s court decision remain in place.<\/p>\n

Judge Admits Error<\/h2>\n

\u201cI did not enter final judgment … which was a mistake,\u201d Saylor acknowledged on Friday, according to the Martha\u2019s Vineyard Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI view this as an entirely technical question,\u201d Saylor added. \u201cThe question here is what should the judgment look like as a technical matter, not whether the tribe has a good building inspector or not.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It appears Saylor believes the town cannot employ the lack of building permits to block the building of the venue, the Gazette<\/em> reported. But the town can regulate relevant characteristics of the gaming venue, the judge said.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the tribe cleared some of its four acres so construction can commence on the gaming venue. Electricity<\/a> to the site was cut in March because the tribe had not gotten an inspection from the town, with the tribe saying it wants to use its own inspector.<\/p>\n

The tribe plans to open the bingo venue possibly later this year. The 10,000-square foot casino would have 250 electronic games, with projected annual revenue of $4.5 million.<\/p>\n

Martha\u2019s Vineyard Commission Asked to Review Plans<\/h2>\n

Aquinnah and Chilmark town officials already requested the plans be considered by the Martha\u2019s Vineyard Commission. It is a regional planning agency.<\/p>\n

\n

After the court hearing, tribal Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais told the Times<\/em>, \u201cThey\u2019re asking us to get permission, which we don\u2019t need\u2026. It\u2019s simply disrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

They just want to keep their foot on our necks,\u201d she additionally was quoted by the local newspaper.<\/p>\n

The venue is tentatively being called the\u00a0Aquinnah Cliffs Casino. Traditional slot machines and table games will not be permitted.<\/p>\n

The bingo hall is to be built on the island\u2019s remote western end. Residents have worried about its impact on the bucolic location, especially on traffic<\/a> flow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A proposed gambling hall on Martha\u2019s Vineyard has once again wound up in Boston federal court with the town of Aquinnah demanding the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head gets a local building permit before construction takes place. Lawyers representing the Massachusetts island town told U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV Friday the tribe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":106156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nResumed Courtroom Battle Over Stalled Martha\u2019s Vineyard Casino Focuses on Legal Technicality Legal Point Is Focus of Resumed Courtroom Battle Over Stalled Martha\u2019s Vineyard Casino<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A proposed gambling hall on Martha\u2019s Vineyard has once again wound up in Boston federal court with the town of Aquinnah demanding the Wampanoag Tribe of A proposed gambling hall on Martha\u2019s Vineyard has once again wound up in Boston federal court with the town of Aquinnah demanding the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head gets a local building permit before construction takes place. The tribe has cleared the land.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Resumed Courtroom Battle Over Stalled Martha\u2019s Vineyard Casino Focuses on Legal Technicality Legal Point Is Focus of Resumed Courtroom Battle Over Stalled Martha\u2019s Vineyard Casino\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A proposed gambling hall on Martha\u2019s Vineyard has once again wound up in Boston federal court with the town of Aquinnah demanding the Wampanoag Tribe of A proposed gambling hall on Martha\u2019s Vineyard has once again wound up in Boston federal court with the town of Aquinnah demanding the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head gets a local building permit before construction takes place. 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