Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe still wants to join gaming lawsuit

Tuesday, July 2, 2013  

The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe is still seeking to intervene in a gaming lawsuit in Massachusetts.

The tribe asserted its gaming rights in a lawsuit filed by a non-Indian developer. A federal judge, however, said the state can represent any tribal interests that might come up

But Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais says the state can't be trusted. She noted that the state's official position is that the tribe can't follow the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

"Therefore, with the Commonwealth's incorrect presumption and position, how can we expect them to defend or assert our rights if they do not understand or believe that we actually do have them?" Andrews-Maltais said in an email to The Cape Cod Times.

The tribe is asking the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the dispute.

Get the Story:
Aquinnah tribe appeals casino ruling (The Cape Cod Times 7/2)
Tribe Appeals Recent Casino Ruling (The Martha's Vineyard Gazette 7/2)

Judge won't let Wampanoag tribes intervene in gaming lawsuit (6/7)