Former North Carolina County Commissioner Who Opposed a Casino Has Lawsuit Tossed
Posted on: May 19, 2025, 09:33h.
Last updated on: May 19, 2025, 09:44h.
- A lawsuit from former Rockingham County Commissioner Craig Travis has been dismissed
- Travis alleged his political opponents conspired to smear his reputation
- Travis was defeated during the March 2024 Republican primary
A lawsuit filed by a former North Carolina county commissioner against his political rivals has been dismissed.
Last June, Craig Travis raised allegations through a legal filing that his political foes embarked on a smear campaign to defeat his reelection bid. Travis served on the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners from 2011 through December 2022.
He attempted a political comeback last year but was defeated in the March Republican primary by incumbents Jeff Kallam, Mark Richardson, and Kevin Berger.
In his June 2024 lawsuit filed in North Carolina’s Superior Court, Travis alleged that Berger and Richardson, as well as Commissioner Donald Power, Rockingham County GOP Chair Diane Parnell, the North Carolina Conservatives Fund, GOPAC, and Atlas Political Consulting, collectively worked to ensure that he would not finish in the top three of the 2024 GOP primary to reach the November ballot where Republicans are shoo-ins in the heavily red county.
Case Dismissed
Travis’ complaint contended that the named defendants had orchestrated a backroom deal with Baltimore-based casino developer The Cordish Companies to bring a Las Vegas-like resort to Rockingham. Travis, who says he opposed such a push to allow slot machines and table games in the rural county, alleged that he was cast aside by his political colleagues and that they worked to harm his reputation.
Travis’ lawsuit sought damages in excess of $100K. The litigation claimed that Berger and the casino lobbyists colluded to produce a political campaign against him that included misleading statements and falsehoods.
The false statements made about Mr. Travis in the false attack ads, Facebook posts, email, and other communications constitute more than the mere vituperation and name calling that is characteristic of political campaigns and protected by the First Amendment,” the lawsuit read. “These false statements were made with actual malice and intended to harm Mr. Travis’ reputation in Rockingham County by lowering Mr. Travis in the estimation of potential voters in the 2024 Board of Commissioners election and deterring others from supporting his campaign.”
Last Friday, Superior Court Judge Hoyt Tessener dismissed the case. Tessener said Travis failed to state a valid claim for him to rule on and that the court lacked jurisdiction over at least one defendant.
Casinos on Hold
Despite Travis not winning back his county seat, the pro-casino commissioners didn’t get their way. After the public discovered that Berger’s father, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), was behind the legislation that would have authorized casinos in Rockingham, Anson, and Nash counties, lawmakers in the Raleigh capital scrapped the gaming provision that the Senate leader had attempted to tack on to the 2023-25 budget bill.
Berger has since eased his support of using casinos to spark rural economies. In February, Berger admitted that commercial casino gambling isn’t “something that will see the light of day” anytime soon.
North Carolinians will soon have more options for tribal slots and table games. The Catawba Indian Tribe expects to complete its permanent casino resort — Two Kings Casino Resort — roughly 35 miles west of Charlotte early next year. The property will have 4,300 slots, 100 table games, five restaurants and six bars, and a 400-room hotel.
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