A new federal lawsuit is threatening the planned October 2026 opening of the North Fork Mono Casino & Resort, a US$725 million tribal gaming project in Madera County, California, being developed by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians with support from Station Casinos and Red Rock Resorts.
The lawsuit was filed on June 5, 2026 by the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, owner of Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, under case 1:26-cv-04343-KES-SAB. The tribe is seeking to block the opening of the project’s Class III gaming operations.
Elaine Fink
The development will span approximately 264,000 square feet and include 2,400 slot machines, 40 table games, eight food and beverage outlets and a future hotel phase with around 200 rooms, while creating more than 1,500 jobs. Total project financing stands at US$725 million. VICI Properties committed up to US$510 million in April 2025, while Red Rock and Station Casinos have operated under a management agreement signed on November 7, 2023. Red Rock Resorts is led by Frank J. Fertitta III, Chairman and CEO.
Deann Kamalani
North Fork is headed by Elaine Fink, Tribal Chairperson. Rival tribe Chukchansi is led by Deann Kamalani, who also has previous experience in the operation of Chukchansi Gold. The legal dispute centers on the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, federal approval of roughly 305 acres of land and the validity of the state concurrence originally granted to the project. In November 2014, California voters rejected the compact through Proposition 48.
In 2024, a state court declared that concurrence void ab initio. On December 16, 2025, the Fifth District Court of Appeal upheld the ruling, and on April 1, 2026 the California Supreme Court declined to review the case. North Fork argues that the Secretarial Procedures, in force since July 29, 2016, continue to provide sufficient legal authority. The National Indian Gaming Commission is also named among the federal defendants.
