The story of a legal dispute over the sale of the area that became Encore Boston Harbor between a former owner and Massachusetts gaming officials came to a close on Friday when Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of the state.

Anthony Gattineri made a claim to the court ($19 million dollars) in regard to a $7 million dollar sale of land purchased by him in 2006 and later became the site for Encore Boston Harbor. After a 6-year legal battle brought to the Supreme Judicial Court, the court ruled on their stance on this issue. According to the court, a deal that was “handshake” or “secret” could not be enforced and putting such a deal together actually puts the people in this state at risk of losing confidence in their entire licensing process.

This landmark case shows how common things like that are handled in Massachusetts and other states in the United States.

In the famous words of Scott L. Kafker, the associate Supreme Judicial Court justice in charge of this matter, it is immoral to enforce such covert agreements that directly contradict the terms of public scrutiny, and consequently, they are in violation of public policy.



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