The Ojibwa Casino in Baraga, Michigan. Photo from 500 Nations
A judge for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of Michigan dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the tribe's plan for a new casino. Tribal members approved the $2.75 million purchase of the Baraga Lakeside Inn for $2.75 million with the intent of building a new Ojibwa Casino at the site. Former chairman Fred Dakota claimed the process was illegal but Judge Violet Friisval-Ayres ruled that the vote, which was conducted by a show of hands at a public meeting, was legal under tribal law, The Marquette Daily Mining Gazette reported. "I would say it's wrapped up and done for," President Donald Shalifoe, who was named as a defendant in the suit, told the paper. "I hope so, so we can move forward as a community." Friisval-Ayres went ahead and resolved the case even though the tribal council told her to dismiss it. Along with Chief Judge Bradley Dakota, who is the former chairman's son but was not involved with the lawsuit, she was suspended last month for carrying out her duties on the court. Get the Story:
Lawsuit dismissed (The Marquette Daily Mining Gazette 9/17)
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