SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A federal racketeering lawsuit involving the Cayuga Nation and a local smoke shop, Pipekeepers, is set to go to trial in Syracuse this coming September. The case, presided over by Judge Brenda K. Sannes of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, hinges on allegations that the smoke shop, operated by Dusty Parker and owned by Paul Meyer, has negatively impacted the nation’s business to the tune of $15 million.
The lawsuit, initiated in February 2022, claims that Pipekeepers, located on Route 90 in Montezuma, has been conducting business without the authorization of the Cayuga Nation’s leadership, including its federally recognized representative, Clint Halftown. The business is accused of redirecting customers from the nation’s enterprises through the sale of untaxed cigarettes and marijuana, with the profits allegedly stemming from racketeering activities.
This legal confrontation began when Parker was forcibly evicted by the nation from a previous shop in Seneca Falls. Subsequently, Parker and Meyer lodged counterclaims against the nation. However, Judge Sannes has since dismissed most of these counterclaims, retaining only the ones pertaining to accusations of the nation selling inventory from the Seneca Falls shop and hacking computers for financial and personal gains.
The intricacies of the dispute extend beyond this particular lawsuit. In a different vein of the ongoing disagreement, issues have surfaced around Meyer’s Finger Lakes Drive-In, stemming from a property purchase by the nation’s leadership adjacent to the drive-in in January 2023. Conflict arose when the nation claimed encroachments by the drive-in on their property. The nation’s actions included initiating a physical blockade, although Meyer contends that a lease affords him the rights to the contested properties.
While the legal battles surge, as of late January 2023, both the smoke shop and the drive-in remain operational, albeit amidst heightened tension and legal scrutiny. Further complicating the landscape, the nation’s efforts to gain preliminary injunctions against Meyer’s business have been unsuccessful, prompting both sides to continue their legal maneuvers during the ongoing discovery phase.
Looking forward, the multiple layers of this lawsuit and its associated disputes are poised to unravel before the courts, offering a potential reshaping of business and legal relations in the region.
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