The Pala Band of Mission Indians in California reduced its casino per capita payment even as its removed hundreds from the rolls, The LA Weekly reports.
Each member receives more than $150,000 a year, according to the paper. In January 2012, the monthly payment was cut by $500, or a reduction of $6,000 for the entire year.
The move came as the tribe started disenrollment proceedings against more than 160 people. Some of them appealed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs but the agency just last week said it lacked authority to intervene.
Some of the people who were disenrolled are suing the tribe for $80 million in damages.
A federal judge dismissed the case due to sovereign immunity but an appeal is pending.
The disenrollment proceedings have reduced tribal membership by about 15 percent.
Get the Story:
Pala's Big Gamble: A SoCal Tribe's Casino Made Them Rich. But At What Cost? (The LA Weekly 6/20) Related Stories:
Washburn confirms lack of authority in disenrollment case (6/13)
Pala's Big Gamble: A SoCal Tribe's Casino Made Them Rich. But At What Cost? (The LA Weekly 6/20) Related Stories:
Washburn confirms lack of authority in disenrollment case (6/13)
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