The parties involved in a voter discrimination lawsuit between two Native American tribes and state and county officials was settled for almost half of what the tribes’ lawyers requested, with Washoe County paying the most. The Pyramid Lake and Walker River Paiute tribes won a case in federal court against Washoe and Mineral counties and Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske’s office on Oct. 7 for early polling and Election Day voting sites on the reservations. The tribes’ lawyers initially requested $117,000 in costs, but the suit was eventually settled for $60,000. Washoe County is on the hook for $25,000 with the state’s split at $20,000 and Mineral County at $15,000.
“We felt the $25,000 was fair in terms of the total amount of attorney’s fees that they asked. The focus was on Washoe County,” said Michael Large, the Washoe County assistant district attorney who defended the county in court.
The plaintiffs projected costs for the counties to comply from the onset was $10,000 total.
Full Article: Tribal voting rights case settled, Washoe County pays the most.