I-Team: The Plantation Golf Club faces federal lawsuit over ‘men only’ policy
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - The Plantation Golf Club in Indio is one of the last "men only" clubs in the country. The club is the target of litigation in San Diego County as News Channel 3 first reported last year.
Now it’s also facing a federal lawsuit alleging unlawful discrimination.
It includes four counts: conspiracy/RICO violations, tax fraud, violations of the Securities Exchange Act, and a violation of the California Civil Rights Act.
“It’s impermissible to discriminate against women," says Tomas Morales, General Counsel for Equity Ag Financial, Inc.
Equity Ag Financial, Inc. is the parent company of JCM Farming which filed the original lawsuit in California. Both lawsuits outline a joint venture gone bad between JCM Farming and The Plantation that involved growing date palm trees.
The Plantation has a lot of them, lining the fairways of the exclusive club that boasts a high-profile membership that includes well-known leaders in business and professional sports.
The allegations are serious, along with discrimination over the club's "men only" policy.
The federal lawsuit describes allegations of racketeering, including illegal gambling, and securities and tax fraud.
Morales says that everything in the lawsuit comes from people inside the club.
“Well, with information that has been given to us by people who were intimately involved and associated with The Plantation,” he says.
Morales says there's been limited contact between the parties, making settlement unlikely.
The case in San Diego County is now centered around the joint venture involving the raising of date palms and is set to go to trial in October.
It's not clear when the federal case will begin in earnest.
We reached out to The Plantation Golf Club for their side of the story.
Attorney Garrett Smith provided this statement: "We don't comment on active litigation."
