Cumberland Twp Returns Casino Escrow $$$

Cumberland returns casino plan escrow deposit
Posted: Friday, October 26, 2012  Gettysburg Times
BY ALEX J. HAYES Times Night Editor
There are now officially no plans to build a casino in Cumberland Township.
At their meeting on Tuesday, township supervisors unanimously voted to return about $11,000 that was in an escrow fund to Mason-Dixon Resorts. That decision also effectively terminated the group's proposal to turn the Eisenhower Inn and Conference Center into a resort casino.
The move obviously came as no surprise to supervisors as the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board denied Mason-Dixon Resorts, headed by Cumberland Township resident David LeVan and former state lawmaker Joseph Lashinger Jr., a Category Three Casino License. Nemacolin Resort in western Pennsylvania was awarded the license, and Mason-Dixon Resorts unsuccessfully appealed that decision to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The appeal was headed by Lashinger, who held majority interest in the company, and opposed by LeVan, a Gettysburg native.
LeVan Limited Partners then sued Lashinger in an attempt to dissolve the Mason-Dixon Resorts partnership. The suit stated LeVan felt the appeal was fruitless and would only tarnish his reputation in the gaming community. That suit was settled out of court in September and the terms were not disclosed.
Following LeVan's lawsuit, Mason-Dixon filed one of its own in Philadelphia County Court claiming he sabotaged any chances of winning the appeal by requesting to end the partnership. According to court documents, the Philadelphia lawsuit is still on the table and scheduled for trial no earlier than January 2014.
The owners of the Eisenhower Inn Conference Center, where the casino was slated to be located, are also suing Mason-Dixon. Timeless Towns of the Americas, Inc. is seeking a more than $600,000 termination fee from Mason-Dixon Resorts after an option to purchase the property expired on April 8.
Contact Alex J. Hayes at ahayes@gburgtimes.com or             (717)253-9413
http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/news/local/article_370cb6d5-b995-5d8e-8b2f-0d25eb5637d4.html