Compacts | New York | Opinion

Arbitration panel named for Seneca Nation compact dispute

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

An arbitration panel of three members has been named to resolve a Class III gaming compact dispute between the Seneca Nation and the state of New York.

The panel will be chaired by Judith S. Kaye, a former state court judge, who was chosen by both parties. The tribe named Stacy L. Leeds, an attorney and professor who is a member of the Cherokee Nation, as its pick, while the state chose Henry Gutman, an attorney.

“The nation is pleased that a highly qualified panel consisting of former New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Judith Kaye as the chair, University of Arkansas Law School Dean Stacy Leeds, and Henry Gutman. of the Simpson Thacher firm will hear the case,” said Seneca President Robert Odawi Porter. “The panel is expected to hold a preliminary hearing in early October, at which point a schedule likely will be established for the proceedings.”

“The nation looks forward to the fair and just resolution of this important matter," Porter added.

The tribe has withheld $460 million from the state over the past two years, citing an expansion of non-Indian gaming in violation of the exclusivity provisions of the compact. The money is being held in escrow pending resolution of the dispute.

An Opinion:
Editorial: Falls deserves the cash from Seneca casino (The Buffalo News 9/19)