A new lawsuit claims that Cherokee Nation Businesses coerced a local judge in Arkansas in order to obtain a casino license. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Cherokee Nation celebrated last week after receiving a casino license in Pope County, Arkansas following six years of legal action. Its representatives spoke about the excitement of beginning the 18-month development that will cost about $300m.

a company that was unsuccessful with its own license bid

This enthusiasm was short-lived, however, after news broke on Tuesday that Gulfside Casino Partnership filed a lawsuit claiming that Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB) coerced a local judge to help it get the license. The complaint comes from a company that was unsuccessful with its own license bid. Pope County Judge Ben Cross and members of the Quorum Court are also defendants in this case.

The plaintiff claims that an Economic Development Agreement (EDA) from CNB is invalid and should have been voided after Gulfside proposed a better deal. The complaint argues that the EDA bound the judge and court to issue letters of support for CNB in exchange for cash payments to local entities.

Gulfside contends that the “discretion of the County Judge and Quorum Court cannot be bought, to the exclusion of all other interested operators” and as a result, the EDA and letters of support are not valid.