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SANTA FE — New Mexico courts have jurisdiction over personal injury lawsuits that allege negligent acts at tribal casinos in New Mexico, the state Supreme Court ruled.

The opinion came in two lawsuits filed against pueblo casinos in state District Courts.

One was filed against Santa Clara Pueblo by the family of a 15-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted after being abducted from the tribe's casino. The other was filed against San Felipe Pueblo by two people who alleged they were injured when they slipped and fell on a loose floor mat at the tribal casino.

Both lawsuits alleged that negligence in the casinos' operations led to the injuries.

The Supreme Court said gambling compacts between New Mexico and the pueblos created concurrent jurisdiction in state courts over personal injury actions against tribal-owned casinos, and were valid and enforceable under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The justices, in their ruling Friday, upheld an appellate court opinion and said the lawsuits should proceed in state courts.

The lawsuit filed by the teenage girl, who was not a tribal member, alleged Santa Clara Pueblo failed to take safety measures to protect her at the casino. The lawsuit alleged the casino parking lot lacked proper lighting and security, and that casino staff did not try to find the girl once it became apparent she was missing.

The complaint against San Felipe Pueblo by Ivan Lopez and his mother, Lucy Lopez, alleged the tribe's casino did not adequately secure the floor mat, leading to their injuries.

Both pueblos argued that the state lacked jurisdiction and the cases should be dismissed. The state courts denied those motions.

The pueblos then sought to appeal the jurisdictional issue to the state Court of Appeals.

The Court of Appeals upheld state court jurisdiction in the Santa Clara case, and based on that, denied San Felipe's request to appeal a week later.

Both pueblos then turned to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court opinion cited a section of the gambling compacts in which a pueblo "waives its defense or sovereign immunity in connection with any claims for compensatory damages for bodily injury or property damage" up to $50 million per incident.

The section calls for claims to go to binding arbitration or "a court of competent jurisdiction." The Supreme Court said that includes state courts, since such jurisdiction was not prohibited by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.