The Seminole Tribe of Florida dropped on Friday its court filing aimed at preventing the disclosure of what it believed was confidential financial information about the tribe’s casinos and their financial performance in 2015. Tribal officials decided to drop the claim after political news publication POLITICO released certain financial details.
Attorneys for the tribe asked a local judge to block POLITICO from publishing information from Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen’s deposition, so as for Seminole officials to have enough time to determine whether the said information contained trade secrets.
However, the news publication released earlier this week an article about Mr. Allen and his recent deposition, in which it quoted the executive saying that the tribe generated a total of $2.4 billion in revenue in 2015, of which $2.2 billion came from gambling operations.
Mr. Allen’s statement will be used as evidence in the federal trial between the Seminoles and the state of Florida, which is scheduled for this October. The two parties have been locked in a more than a year-long verbal and court battle over the tribe’s right to be the only provider of blackjack and other table games within Florida’s borders.
Last summer, the Seminoles filed a lawsuit after provisions in its gambling contract with the state regarding its blackjack monopoly expired. Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s office ccountersued and the two legal filings were then consolidated.
POLITICO was allowed access to Mr. Allen’s deposition after submitting a public records request to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. According to a number of public records experts, the publication had no right to release the financial information because it was deemed a trade secret by the tribe.
However, First Amendment Foundation President Barbara Petersen said that under the current Florida laws, financial information could not be defined as a trade secret. The current state of affairs is about to change later this year.
Ms. Petersen explained that the state had not violated the law by allowing POLITICO access to the financial information as officials were not aware of the fact that the said information was to be defined as a trade secret by the Seminoles.
Among other things, Mr. Allen provided in his deposition details about his career in the casino industry and about why the Seminole Tribe agreed back in 2010 to sign provisions, under which it would be able to provide blackjack for a five-year period, despite the fact that other parts of the gambling compact are valid through 2030.
