North Carolina judge dismisses lawsuit against Rockingham Casino.
This was posted on March 22, 2024 at 01:04 AM.
This information was last updated on March 22, 2024 at 01:15 in the morning.
The August 2023 decision by the Rockingham Board of County Commissioners to rezone almost 193 acres of land for a potential casino has been dismissed through a lawsuit in North Carolina.
In autumn of last year, the proprietors of Camp Carefree, a cost-free summer camp designed for children with disabilities and chronic illnesses, took legal action against the county board members for supposedly disregarding “essential legal mandates” in their review of a proposal to rezone 192.7 acres of untouched land situated to the west of US Route 220. Camp Carefree was joined by multiple individuals from Rockingham County as co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Judge Clayton Somers of the North Carolina Superior Court dismissed the lawsuit this week, citing a lack of “subject matter jurisdiction.”
After thoroughly reviewing the legal arguments and documents presented by both parties, including relevant case law, and listening to the arguments from both parties’ lawyers, the Court has determined that the Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss should be granted due to lack of jurisdiction. As a result, all claims made by the Plaintiffs are dismissed permanently against all Defendants, resulting in the dismissal of this entire case with prejudice.”
Failed 2023 Casino Effort
Last year, Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), the Senate President Pro Tempore of North Carolina, advocated for the General Assembly to endorse his plans to introduce commercial casinos, similar to those in Las Vegas, to the rural parts of the state. Mr. Berger, a prominent Republican, suggested the idea of permitting casinos to operate in Rockingham, Anson, and Nash counties.
At first, Berger’s Republican colleagues appeared to be in favor of the casino project. However, when news came out that the Senate leader was collaborating with Baltimore-based Cordish Companies in private, their support dimished.
The company, Cordish, which runs casinos and entertainment districts under the Live! brand name, donated over $34,000 to Berger and other Republican legislators. Berger then put forth a proposal to grant Cordish the rights to develop three commercial casinos. Prior to the information about Cordish’s donations, the Rockingham Board of County Supervisors received a request for rezoning from a group called NC Development Holdings, who want to use the land next to Camp Carefree for a new commercial venture.
NC Development Holdings, owned by Cordish, had initially committed to purchasing the land for $5.5 million. However, once Berger’s efforts to establish a casino were unsuccessful, NC Development withdrew from the land deal.
Groundless Rezoning Lawsuit
When Republican lawmakers in the House refused to get on board with Berger’s position that a gaming bill could be tacked on to the state’s 2023-25 budget bill and the casino deliberations were folded on for the 2023 legislative year, Rockingham residents turned their anger to the county government. The plaintiffs involved in the now-dismissed lawsuit said the commissioners engaged in illegal contract zoning, ignored surrounding land uses, and failed to take into consideration the community’s stance on gambling.
Maybe if these elected officials had made a trip to Camp Carefree this past summer and spent time with campers instead of traveling to a casino in Maryland, they would know just how important it is to preserve our community. We hope this rezoning lawsuit will shine a light on the need for transparency and accountability of all our elected officials,” the plaintiffs said in a statement.
However, Somers determined that the board did not commit any wrongdoing.
