Jimmy-John Thompson, former chairman of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe in California, has sued the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino (GSR) in Reno, Nevada, citing racial discrimination.
The suit was first filed in Nevada state court in May.
According to court filings, Thompson, who resides in Sacramento, was staying at the GSR on October 15, 2022 when he called the front desk to report what he described as a faint smoke smell coming from the room’s air system.
Shortly after, hotel staff inspected the room and reported no trace of smoke; a fee was then allegedly charged to Thompson’s room. Unsatisfied, the former chairman then contacted the Reno Fire Department, who eventually came and inspected the property as well—they too reported no potential threats.
The lawsuit then alleges that two GSR security guards came to Thompson’s new room (he had since been moved) at 4 a.m. and ordered him to vacate the property. The guards also allegedly accused him of starting a fire in his previous room and claimed that they had some sort of evidence against Thompson to prove it.
Due to the fact that Thompson has deep vein thrombosis, he is subject to involuntary convulsions in cold temperatures due to the side effects of medication. After he was evicted from the room in the early morning, he spent a few hours sleeping in his vehicle, which resulted in several fits of convulsions, the suit alleges.
Thompson and his legal counsel, Norberto J. Cisneros, are seeking $15,000 in damages.
“Jimmy-John Thompson was treated so poorly at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino with no rational basis for the treatment he received,” Cisneros told Native News Online. “Reporting a potential fire, resorted to him being accused of arson, and then being evicted from the hotel at 4 a.m., having to sleep in his car, with no opportunity to explain or refute himself for trying to save lives.
“If he was not a Native American, if this was a person not of color, he would have never experienced this kind of treatment. It’s embarrassing and can harm a person’s reputation.”
In the months since the incident, the property has ignored two demand letters, Cisneros told NNO. The attorney said he’s “never seen anything like this in my career.”
The reason why Thompson was staying at the GSR was so that he could attend the Western Mining Action Network conference and make a field visit to the Thacker Pass lithium mine, which is a highly controversial project among local tribes. Due to the events at the GSR, however, Thompson alleges that he was unable to attend the field visit.
