Bryan OKs legal action against VIGL for failing to rebuild Doc James racetrack
CHRISTIANSTED – During his 2025 State of the Territory Address, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced that he has authorized the Virgin Islands Department of Justice to file suit against VIGL Operations LLC in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. The lawsuit seeks damages and termination of VIGL’s contracts with the Government of the Virgin Islands (GVI) for failing to meet its obligations to reconstruct the Randall “Doc” James Racetrack on St. Croix and resume horse racing operations.
2025-01-28 12:20:07 - VI News Staff
“As for VIGL and the Randall ‘Doc’ James Racetrack on St. Croix, it should be evident to all that VIGL does not have the wherewithal nor the resources to rebuild the track,” said Governor Bryan. “Today, I authorized the Department of Justice to file a suit against VIGL in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands for an action for damages. I am prepared to have the Government move to rebuild the Randall ‘Doc’ James Racetrack and restore horse racing to the island of St. Croix.”
Despite repeated extensions and concessions, including the issuance of a Casino Control Commission license in April 2024, VIGL has failed to make meaningful progress on the racetrack. While the company claims to have spent $11 million on the project to date, with $2 million going toward architecture and engineering in the past two years, there is no visible progress at the site. VIGL has missed key contractual obligations, including failing to post an $8 million performance bond and repeatedly delaying construction milestones, most recently missing the May 2024 groundbreaking deadline.