New Mexico Supreme Court: State Courts Lack Jurisdiction To Hear Casino Tort Cases

(January 17, 2024, 12:18 PM EST) -- SANTA FE, N.M. — Two previous federal court opinions triggered a termination clause within New Mexico’s tribal gaming compact regarding waiver of sovereign immunity because the opinions held that jurisdictional shifting of tort claims that arose at tribal casinos from tribal to state court is not authorized by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), the New Mexico Supreme Court found Jan. 16 in holding that the state’s courts lacked jurisdiction to hear a tort casing brought against the Pueblo of Pojoaque for injuries suffered by a worker at the tribe’s casino....