Compacts | Litigation

Seminole Tribe seeks court order to protect gaming information

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Blackjack tables at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida. Photo from Facebook

The Seminole Tribe of Florida is asking a federal judge to seal a deposition from one of its top gaming executives after a copy was inadvertently given to the Politico news organization.

The state acknowledged that it released the transcript of the deposition of James Allen, the chief executive officer of Seminole Gaming, without first informing the tribe. The tribe was therefore unable to determine whether the document contained any trade secret or confidential information.

"The protective order should seal all deposition transcripts in the hands of any person until the tribe has had a reasonable opportunity to review and mark confidential and/or trade secret information, and prohibit anyone from disseminating or disclosing the contents thereof to third parties, except pursuant to an order from a court of competent jurisdiction," an emergency motion filed on Wednesday reads.

The release of the transcript goes against a confidentiality agreement that the tribe and the state signed in March. The agreement is part of a lawsuit in which the tribe alleges the state has failed to negotiate a Class III gaming compact in "good faith" as required by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The case is set to go to trial in October.

Get the Story:
Seminoles try to stop publication of gambling-trial document (AP 5/12)