“We’re pleased to have the case heard on the merits on an expedited basis,” David Tennant, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, told the newspaper.
The move meant that the tribe could begin work on the first phase of its $1 billion First Light Casino development in Taunton, which is a city of some 55,000 residents located about 38 miles south of Boston. The lawsuit has been filed by a group of local property owners unhappy that the Bureau Of Indian Affairs granted a land-into-trust application made by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council in September. Latest Casino and Gambling News, Tribal Gaming, Casino project updates, Fines, Lawsuits & Litigation, MassachusettsĪlthough declining to grant a preliminary injunction, a federal judge has set a date to hear a lawsuit filed against a new casino being built in Massachusetts by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council.Īccording to a report from The Cape Cod Times, US District Court Judge William Young has scheduled a pre-trial conference for the case, Littlefield v Department Of The Interior, on June 29 with a preliminary hearing on the same day followed by arguments from July 11.