An attempt by trainer Jonathan Wong to challenge in a Louisiana federal court sanctions that arose in Indiana was denied.
The sanctions were issued by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. The order dismissing Wong's lawsuit was issued by federal court judge Terry Doughty, who in 2022 abruptly enjoined HISA and the Federal Trade Commission from implementing rules in Louisiana and West Virginia.
Wong's troubles began when his trainee, Heaven and Earth, tested positive for the diabetes drug metformin after winning a race at Horseshoe Indianapolis in June 2023. A pre-hearing suspension was followed by a full hearing and a two-year suspension, $25,000 fine, $8,000 in adjudication costs, and a purse forfeiture of $21,600.
Wong relocated his operation to Louisiana where he can legally race because HISA enforcement rules there were and are still on a litigation hold. After losing an FTC review, in October 2024 Wong sued HISA and the FTC in Louisiana challenging HISA's constitutionality and appealing the Indiana case.
Facing a motion to dismiss HISA on jurisdictional grounds, Wong voluntarily released HISA from the lawsuit March 6. Doughty's ruling, entered March 25, found that given his court could not possibly have jurisdiction over HISA, the case must be dismissed because HISA and the FTC are both indispensable parties to its resolution.
Citing a decision from another court, Doughty wrote, "[Mr. Wong] must bring this action in the proper venue after joining [the Authority]." Attorneys for Wong told Thoroughbred Daily News, which first reported the decision, "we are pleased that the court acknowledged that Jonathan may file his case in a different court."
