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Judge Rejects California Tribal Lawsuit

CALIFORNIA – As reported by the LA Times: "A Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected on Monday a lawsuit filed by a faction of a landless San Gabriel Valley tribe that wants to build a casino against the wishes of another faction that has no interest in gambling.

"After a year of legal squabbling, Judge Soussan Bruguera determined that the court lacked jurisdiction over the case. The ruling brought applause from a dozen members of the Gabrielino-Tongva tribe who had been driven nearly into bankruptcy by the lawsuit.

"…`It was a painful lawsuit,' said tribal Vice Chairman Anthony Morales Jr., 32, `brought by a gaming lawyer who recruited a few disgruntled Indians as part of an effort to get a casino.'

"…The group backing the casino wanted membership in a corporation created to preserve and protect the 400-member tribe's culture. The tribe has control of historical documents and other resources that could help it gain federal recognition, a requirement for taking land into trust. Plaintiffs were suing the corporation and the tribe.

"…Confusion over the motivation for the lawsuit moved Judge Bruguera to repeatedly ask: `What is it plaintiffs want? I can't figure it out.'…"

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