U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. Retsel Corporation (D. S.D.)
On November 29, 2023, the court entered a consent order in United States v. Retsel et. al., in the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. The complaint, which was filed on October 19, 2022, alleged that that the Retsel Corporation and the owners, Connie Uhre and her son Nicholas Uhre, discriminated against Native American customers through policies and practices that denied Native Americans the full and equal enjoyment of access to the services, accommodations and privileges at the Grand Gateway Hotel and the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino, in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Grand Gateway and Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino are in Rapid City, South Dakota. The consent order enjoins Connie Uhre from being a director or officer of the Retsel Corporation and from engaging in any of the hotel’s operations for four years. The consent order also enjoins Defendants from engaging in discrimination on the basis of race and requires that they issue an apology to be distributed to the tribal communities and posted on the company’s website. Defendants must also undergo training, develop an anti-discrimination policy, complaint procedure and marketing plan. Defendants must also hire a compliance officer to monitor Defendants’ compliance with the consent order. Except for the provisions regarding Connie Uhre, the terms of the Consent Order are in effect for three years from the date the court issued the order.
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