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Churchill Downs Incorporated

Controversies

Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.

Back to profile2 entries

  1. 2022

    Bob Baffert sues Churchill Downs over suspension

    Lawsuit filed

    Bob Baffert's attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against Churchill Downs, Inc., its CEO and its board chair, asking a judge to overturn Baffert's suspension from Churchill Downs races. The complaint alleges that the suspension violated Baffert's due-process rights.

    Source excerpt

    • Attorneys for the world-renowned thoroughbred race horse trainer Bob Baffert filed a lawsuit today on his behalf in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky against Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), CDI CEO William C. Carstanjen, and CDI Board Chair R. Alex Rankin, asking a federal judge to overturn Baffert's suspension from CDI races.
    • As detailed in the complaint, Baffert was given no opportunity to rebut the CDI allegations or appeal the decision, a violation of Baffert's constitutional right to due process.
    • The complaint requests the court to put a stop to CDI's two-year suspension of Baffert and his horses from CDI competitions, including the Kentucky Derby, and to any future CDI ban, arguing that CDI and its leaders have violated Baffert's constitutional right to due process, the release stated.
    Source

  2. 2020

    Churchill Downs reaches settlement over Fair Grounds discharges

    Settlement

    Churchill Downs Inc. reached a $5.6 million settlement and was fined $2.79 million over unauthorized discharges of manure, urine, and wastewater at Fair Grounds. The government complaint alleged repeated discharges into the storm sewer system and nearby waterways; the settlement requires sampling, monitoring, and modeling.

    Stated objective. Address the track's unauthorized discharges and determine whether actions are successful in eliminating them.

    Company response

    • Remediation — Fair Grounds

      As part of the settlement, Fair Grounds will perform sampling, monitoring, and modeling to help it and the EPA determine whether actions are successful in eliminating unauthorized discharges.

    Source excerpt

    • The government's complaint alleged that since at least 2012, Fair Grounds regularly discharged untreated process wastewater into the New Orleans municipal separate storm sewer system, leading into nearby canals that flowed into Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River, and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico.
    • Churchill Downs Inc., which owns in Louisiana, has been fined $2.79 million by the Environmental Protection Agency and has reached a $5.6 million settlement to address the track's unauthorized discharges of manure, urine, and wastewater into neighboring waterways.Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
    • The EPA, in conjunction with the Department of Justice, announced the settlement and fine related to Clean Water Act violations in a news release Sept. 29.
    Source