The Meskwaki Tribe has been ordered to pay $5,000 in small claims court for an incident at its casino in Iowa, The Toledo Chronicle reports. The judgment was awarded to a woman who said she slipped and fell on a wet floor at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel. The tribe contended it could not be sued due to sovereign immunity but a judge found otherwise, the paper reported. The decision marks the second time Tama County Magistrate Richard Vander Mey has ruled that the tribe can be sued in small claims court. Turtle Talk at the time called the 2011 opinion "truly remarkable." In 2017, the Iowa Legislature enacted a bill to cede jurisdiction over the Meskwaki Settlement. But Congress failed to pass similar legislation during its last session. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) have since reintroduced a bill to carry out the directive at the federal level. S.381 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Read More on the Story:
Magistrate Vander Mey rules for damages–– Dismisses Meskwaki sovereignty claim (The Toledo Chronicle / Tama News-Herald 2/23)
Bill in Congress to align Meskwaki law jurisdiction (The Toledo Chronicle / Tama News-Herald 2/23)
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