A successful harness racing driver has been suspended for five years after testing positive for a controlled substance at a P.E.I. Jun 16, 2010 The former president of Jackson Harness Raceway insisted Thursday that no drivers cheated at the now-closed track, despite the recent suspension of a well. Brian Sears, harness racing's leading driver this year, has been suspended from racing for six months--effective immediately--due to a Wednesday ruling. Acucam Concept Iv Drivers there. SARATOGA SPRINGS >>Six harness racing trainers, including one at Saratoga Casino and Raceway, have been suspended for giving horses potentially dangerous and.

By Perry Lefko Four Michigan-based drivers who resumed their careers last year following a suspension of more than three years for their alleged involvement in fixing races – even though they were never charged – will be seeking compensation from the Michigan Gaming Control Board for lost income and damages to their reputations. John Moody, Donald Harmon, Wally McIlmurray and Rick Ray had their careers put on indefinite hold when the MGCB suspended them in May, 2010 for alleged race fixing at Swartz Creek, Northville and Hazel Park. Under advisement from their legal counsel at the time, the drivers exercised their constitutional rights not to testify over concerns they might implicate themselves.

When the MGCB refused to accept their applications to race after 2010 and 2011, the drivers hired a high-profile civil rights lawyer, Hugh (Buck) Davis. He filed a lawsuit in April, 2012 in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division, seeking the reinstatement of their licenses. The court ruled against them.

In May, 2014, Davis and the MGCB lawyers worked out an agreement to allow the drivers to apply for their licenses so they could race again. This past June, the U.S.

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the MGCB violated the constitutional rights of the drivers by suspending them because they refused to testify. Davis told Harness Racing Update that after the ruling, MGCB executive director Richard Kalm publicly stated the drivers’ were still under investigation. Davis said that is untrue, and the suggestion they are has caused problems for the horsemen in some jurisdictions or racetracks that won’t allow them to race because of integrity concerns. Davis has filed a motion to amend the complaint against the MGCB because of Kalm’s comments.

“We’re going to be looking for a big pay day as soon as (the MGCB) come to their senses or face a trial,” Davis said. A spokesperson for the MGCB declined comment when contacted by Harness Racing Update. Davis, who successfully represented clients that challenged the legality of the Nixon administration’s domestic political wiretap program in the ’70s, said he has already wrung up $600,000 in legal expenses. In this type of litigation, the lawyer receives a percentage of any money awarded to the plaintiffs in either a court proceeding or settlement should the parties come to a resolution.

“I started out suing the government for governmental abuse in my first-ever case and it went to the Supreme Court,” Davis said. “I’ve been suing the government ever since. It’s the way I make my money. They always fight and they have all kinds of abilities and protections and therefore it’s not unusual for cases to take three years or longer. That’s just the nature of the business and the reason not many people do it – you can’t afford to stand there that long and wait to win – but I’ve done it long enough that I settle enough cases every year to keep me going while the others go through the process. Most of my work is policy misconduct, police brutality, but the federal civil rights laws cover every state or local governmental employee who violates peoples’ rights.” Moody is seeking justice for the mental, physical, emotional and financial damage he has endured being labeled a race-fixer. “I’ve raced for over 40 years and never had a problem with racing in my life,” Moody said.