{"id":164187,"date":"2021-02-11T03:22:01","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T11:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=164187"},"modified":"2021-02-11T09:46:25","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T17:46:25","slug":"rincon-band-cant-intervene-in-lawsuit-sparked-by-casino-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/rincon-band-cant-intervene-in-lawsuit-sparked-by-casino-reopening\/","title":{"rendered":"Rincon Band Can\u2019t Intervene in Lawsuit Sparked by Harrah’s SoCal Reopening Mid-Lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rincon Band of Luise\u00f1o Indians may not intervene in a federal lawsuit<\/a> brought by the former general manager of its Harrah’s Southern California resort, a federal judge has ruled.<\/p>\n

\"Harrah's
Former Harrah’s SoCal GM Darrell Pliant (pictured) sued his former employer over its decision to reopen in May. (Image: LinkedIn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Harrah’s SoCal is managed for the Rincon by Caesars Enterprise Services (CES), a unit of Caesars Entertainment. In September last year, the casino\u2019s ex-senior vice president, Darrell Pilant, sued CES, claiming constructive dismissal.<\/p>\n

Pilant resigned after registering his opposition to the plan to reopen the casino last May on the grounds that it was a coronavirus safety risk<\/a>. Pilant had worked for Caesars Entertainment for over 22 years. He claims he \u201cwas forced to resign because [Defendants] continued to insist that he reopen the [Resort] despite the health and safety risks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Constructive dismissal occurs when an employee leaves their job because of unreasonable or hostile behavior by their employer.<\/p>\n

Tribal Sovereign Immunity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The decision to reopen was taken despite California Governor Gavin Newsom writing to the Rincon and two other San Diego-area tribal operators, asking them to reconsider their plans. The Democratic governor warned the tribes that \u201cCOVID-19 transmission remains a serious threat for all Californians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because the Rincon is a sovereign tribe and the casino is based on its sovereign land, the state cannot force the casino to remain shuttered.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pilant originally sued Caesars in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Diego. But the casino giant applied to have the case transferred to the federal\u00a0US District Court for the Southern District of California.<\/p>\n

Caesars argued that the case could not be heard in the state court because the decision to reopen had been the tribes. Lawyers for the Reno, Nevada-based company said this made the tribe an indispensable party in the case, and the tribe could not be sued in a state court.<\/p>\n

\n

Caesars knew it would be more difficult for Pilant to sue the operator and the tribe together because, for one, the tribe was not his employer. Secondly, suing a corporation is much simpler than suing a sovereign government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When the case got moved to the federal court, Caesars’ lawyers immediately attempted to have it dismissed. They moved on the grounds that the California court had no personal jurisdiction because the casino giant was based out of state.<\/p>\n

District Judge Disagrees\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While US District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo agreed to drop the complaint against Caesars Entertainment on these grounds, she refused to dismiss the claim against CES. Since CES managed Harrah’s SoCal in the state, the motion was \u201cborderline frivolous,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

On Monday, she rejected the Rincon\u2019s bid to intervene as an indispensable party for the\u00a0purpose of seeking dismissal, saying the tribe does not have a \u201cprotectable interest\u201d in the case.<\/p>\n

The tribe had claimed its interest lay in the question of the applicability of California state law to the governance of its lands. They add that the case \u201ccannot be litigated fairly without trampling on the sovereignty of the Rincon Band.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge disagreed, countering that “nothing decided in this case will change, reduce, or eliminate any rights the Rincon Band currently has concerning the governance of activities on its land.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the best efforts of Caesars and the Rincon, the case continues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Rincon Band of Luise\u00f1o Indians may not intervene in a federal lawsuit brought by the former general manager of its Harrah’s Southern California resort, a federal judge has ruled. Harrah’s SoCal is managed for the Rincon by Caesars Enterprise Services (CES), a unit of Caesars Entertainment. In September last year, the casino\u2019s ex-senior vice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":164188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRincon Band Can\u2019t Intervene in Lawsuit Sparked by Casino Reopening<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rincon Band can\u2019t intervene in Harrahs SoCal ex-manager Darrell Pilant lawsuit V. 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