An alliance of 14 affiliates of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and four racetracks are seeking protection from the alleged harms of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority (HISA). They are asking a federal judge to allow them to participate in an existing lawsuit that claims HISA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) violated the Fourth and Seventh Amendments to the U.S. Constitution as well as the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations, T. D. Thornton of Thoroughbred Daily News reports.
The HBPA affiliates and the tracks on Friday filed a “motion to intervene” in United States District Court (Western District of Louisiana). If accepted by the judge, it would grant the petitioners status in the case alongside the lead plaintiffs from the states of Louisiana and West Virginia.
The HBPA affiliates seeking to join the lawsuit are Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington, Charles Town, and Tampa Bay Downs. The Colorado Horse Racing Association, the state's statutorily recognized horsemen's group, also wants to be an intervenor.
The racetracks seeking to join the lawsuit are Fonner Park, Horsemen's Park, and the recently approved racino Legacy Downs, all in Nebraska. The fourth is Turf Paradise in Arizona.
“[Our] interests will be seriously impaired if Defendants prevail in their effort to enforce the enjoined HISA Rules beyond Louisiana and West Virginia,” the movants wrote in their Aug. 12 court filing. “Intervenors are not adequately represented by the parties to this action. Intervenors therefore respectfully request that this Court grant their motion to intervene as plaintiffs to protect their and their members' interests.”
“Specifically, Intervenors seek to ensure that HISA does not kneecap the horseracing industry as a whole or themselves with the implementation and enforcement of defective HISA Rules,” the filing continued.
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