05.08.06
Forbes, “My Kingdom for a Casino”
by Walter Olson
“If you thought Jack Abramoff was suspect, look at the latest land claims filed by Indian Tribes.“As everyone now knows, courtesy of Jack Abramoff, sleazy tactics abound in the fight over where and whether Indian tribes build casinos. Too bad more attention hasn't been paid to one of the worst abuses: tribes' filing of massive land-claim lawsuits against property owners, to be traded off in settlement in exchange for casino rights. . .
“In virtually all these cases tribes have made clear that they would settle for a casino permit. . .
“Occasionally one of these suits will make national news, typically when it impinges on a playground of media folks, as with last summer's claim by the Shinnecock to be the rightful owners of large tracts in the Hamptons. More often the claims drag on in obscurity--many of the upstate New York claims have been pending since the 1970s and 1980s--posing hardship to farm families and other innocents whose title to the land had rested undisturbed for 100 or even 200 years. . .
“By now, with fortunes at stake, big law firms are lining up to help with the claim suits . . .”
“ … Far more disturbing is the role of the wealthy backers, including Rochester mall developer Thomas Wilmot and Detroit pizza magnate Marian Ilitch, who bankroll the would-be land grabs in exchange for a share of the resulting settlements or casino action. Financing others' litigation--"champerty"--was long illegal at common law, and you can kind of see why. . ." (Full Story)
Find out more about "champerty" @ Answers.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment