By Dennis Wagner | The Arizona Republic
The Hualapai Tribe of northern Arizona, already accused of breaching a contract to seize the Grand Canyon Skywalk, has taken over a second major tourism project from investment partners, this time the Western-themed town known as Hualapai Ranch.
According to Jim Brown, who built the attraction and cabins on reservation land under a revenue-sharing agreement, the tribe unilaterally kicked out his Western Destinations company last month.
The new controversy emerged publicly as Hualapai leaders moved to appeal a $28.6 million federal court judgment in favor of Las Vegas developer David Jin, who successfully sued the tribe’s business arm over seizure of Skywalk.
On Tuesday, Jin’s company, Grand Canyon Skywalk Development LLC, sought U.S. District Court orders to garnishee Phoenix bank accounts belonging to the tribe’s company, known as Sa’ Nyu Wa. On Wednesday, attorneys for the tribal enterprise notified the judge that they are appealing the judgment to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
