California Superior Court Judge Ann C. Moorman has fined the Coyote Band of Pomo Indians $207,000 for failing to obey a court order in a dispute with a construction contractor over the tribe’s casino project.
The tribe defied earlier orders to produce documents and submit to arbitration with its former contractor, Robert Findleton. The casino is located in Mendocino County in the northern part of the state. It has 400 slots, table games, a poker room and hotel.
The original casino was built in 1994, and the tribe began a renovation in 2007. A company owned by Findleton was hired to repair roads before the renovation. However, the economic catastrophe of the Great Recession halted construction. The Coyote Valley Casino was eventually completed in 2017.
However, the contractor sued the tribe over nonpayment in 2012. Findleton seeks $3.37 million in damages.
When the tribe didn’t obey her court order, Judge Moorman ruled, “The day has come to use daily sanctions to enforce the order to compel.” She added, “For these reasons, the court invokes its inherent authority to manage discovery and enforce prior court orders by ordering the defendant to pay plaintiff monetary sanctions in the amount of $207,000.”
The tribe insists that Moorman has no authority and that the matter belongs in a tribal court. It has sued Judge Moorman in federal court.
