Kevin Costner Struggles to Retain South Dakota Casino

The couple said the original agreement forces Costner to sell the casino and divide the income from the sale accordingly.

In an ongoing legal battle, actor Kevin Costner must either sell his Midnight Star Casino or settle with his partners to the tune of $153,649, a South Dakota state judge ruled. Judge Warren Johnson issued an order establishing a trustee to oversee the sale of the Deadwood casino, sports bar, and restaurant property.

Costner owns 93.5% of the casino, while the other 6.5% belongs to Frances and Carla Caneva, the couple who operated and managed the complex until 2004. At that point, Costner became concerned with the direction and style of the Canevas' management, and sought to terminate the partnership agreement. 

While Costner claimed the value of the property to be $3.1 million, the Canevas had experts testify the true value to be double that amount. The couple said the original agreement forces Costner to sell the casino and divide the income from the sale accordingly, rather than retain the enterprise and buy out the Canevas.

The Midnight Star is named after the saloon in the movie "Silverado", in which Costner had a breakout role. The design, style, and names used in the complex are also lifted from the "Silverado" script.

In November, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled in Costner's favor, saying that rather than being forced to sell the entire business, Costner is only required to pay the value of shares of the withdrawing partners. However, if Costner refuses to pay that amount, a forced sale of the casino would be the legal solution.