Nevada: Former tribal chairman files lawsuit against Reno hotel and casino, alleges racial discrimination

Monday, June 19, 2023 3:50 PM
  • Darren Thompson, Yahoo News

The former tribal chairman of California’s Timbisha Shoshone Tribe is suing a Nevada resort for racial discrimination.

Jimmy-John Thompson, who lives in Sacramento, Calif., filed a lawsuit in Nevada state court last month against the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nev., alleging that the popular Reno attraction discriminated against him because he was Native American.

According to the lawsuit, on Oct. 15, 2022, Thompson was a guest at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino when he noticed the smell of smoke coming from the air vent in his hotel room and called the front desk to report a potential fire. The front desk dispatched hotel staff to check Thompson’s room and reported they could not find a source of smoke. The hotel then changed Thompson’s room.