A judge in California heard arguments in a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the Jamul Indian Village from opening a casino on its reservation.
Walter Rosales and Karen Toggery used to live on the reservation until they were evicted to make way for the $360 million casino. They claim the tribe removed the graves of their family members and dumped them on land owned by Caltrans, a state agency.
The tribe is not a party to the suit and Chairman Raymond Hunter said the claims about the burial grounds have already been heard in the courts.
In November 2007, a federal judge dismissed a case that Rosales and Toggery filed against the federal government.
"Our tribe reveres and honors our ancestors and the passing of all tribal members," Hunter told The San Diego Union-Tribune in a statement. "JIV has no record of remains placed legally in any place other than the cemetery."
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New lawsuit filed to stop Jamul casino
(The San Diego Union-Tribune 4/17)
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