The Seminole Indian Tribe is under fire from Power Plant Entertainment, who on Friday, responded to a lawsuit filed by the tribe last month.  The lawsuit claims that Power Plant Entertainment violated Federal laws that protect Indian tribes from being taken advantage through unfair and illegally construed contracts. The case resembles when the Seminole tribe stopped making payments three years ago to Coconut Creek Gaming, who paid $20 million to build a casino on tribal land and later sued the tribe, who in turn, settled out of court.

Six years ago, the Seminole Tribe signed a contract with Power Plant, who came through on securing over $400 million in bonds, as well as putting up $20 million of their own capital to fund two Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood.  Power Plant is expected to make over 100 times its original investment in the projects, which the Tribe is now saying is unjustly taking more than what should be entitled to them.

In response to these accusations, lawyers for Power Plant filed a motion in court this last Friday, which was scathing to say the least.  It began by saying the Tribe was acting extraordinarily greedy, and that they have continued to whine and even lie so as to not pay the $2 million still owed to Power Plant.  It went on to say that tribal leaders knowingly signed over thirty contract agreements, which they told investors were proper and free of entrapment.  The agreements last between ten and twenty-five years, after which Power Plant says the Seminole Tribe will have made over $17.5 billion.

Despite signing the contracts, tribal leaders say they are protected under Federal law, which could rule that the contracts were illegally written to benefit the developer (Power Plant) in an excessive manner.  As it stands, Power Plant continues to receive 30% of the casinos gross revenue, which is approximately $185 million per year from the tribe (no longer providing services).  Only after two years since both casinos opened, the 3,000 member tribe has profited over $1 billion and Power Plant has profited over $300 million. Both parties tried to settle out of court, which proved unfavorable.