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FEBRUARY 23, 2001

New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid on Thursday said she will drop her lawsuit against the state's gaming tribes if all agree to make back payments as required by 1997 compacts they are protesting.

So far, 11 out of 13 tribes have said they will make back payments. The Mescalero Apache Tribe and Pojoaque Pueblo say they will make the payments but only if half the money goes to Indian education.

All the tribes have stopped making the 16 percent revenue sharing rate, which led to the suit. The State Legislature is considering a new compact which caps the rate at 8 percent but the Mescalero tribe and Pojoaque do not support that proposal.

Santa Clara Pueblo has a compact but is not part of Madrid's lawsuit because they do not currently operate a gaming facility.

Get the Story:
AG Would Drop Casino Lawsuit (The Albuquerque Journal 2/22)