Lawsuit Disputing Chumash Tribe's Land Possessions Dropped by WilmerHale
In a significant legal development, a California court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by local businessman Steve Pappas against the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians. The lawsuit, which was dismissed on June 16, 2025, aimed to challenge the Tribe's land rights and the expansion of the Chumash Casino Resort.
The law firm WilmerHale represented the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians in this case and successfully secured the dismissal of the lawsuit. This means the Tribe's land rights and interests in the reservation and casino resort remain legally upheld following this recent court action.
The dismissed lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court for the County of Santa Barbara, was the most recent in a series of legal disputes between Pappas and the Tribe that have been ongoing for over a decade. Pappas has been challenging the foundation of the Tribe's claim to the land for this period.
In 2019, Pappas filed a lawsuit under the California False Claims Act, accusing tribal leaders of making false statements about the land's legal status. His most recent lawsuit, filed in 2024, alleged that tribal leaders falsely stated that the land was held in trust by the US government. This lawsuit targeted individual tribal leaders: Kenneth Kahn, Vincent Armenta, and John Elliott.
Pappas argues that the Tribe's reservation land was never properly placed in the trust of the federal government. However, the court dismissed the lawsuit, stating it needed the United States as a party to assess the claims. The court's dismissal of the lawsuit protected the Tribe's sovereignty and the legal protections afforded to tribal lands held in trust by the federal government.
The Tribe's reservation land has been held in trust by the United States government for nearly a century. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians currently resides on a 2.5-square-mile reservation in the Santa Ynez Valley. In 2003, the Tribe opened the Chumash Casino Resort, which has become a major economic force in the region.
Jill Folsom and the Managing Attorney's Office, as well as Matt Howard and Armani Veltman-Smith, supported the WilmerHale team in the most recent lawsuit. Matt Benedetto and Sam McHale led the WilmerHale team that defended the Tribe against all of Pappas' lawsuits over the past decade.
With this recent court ruling, the legal dispute between Steve Pappas and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians regarding their reservation land and the Chumash Casino Resort appears to have reached a conclusion. The Tribe can continue to operate its casino, claim tax exemptions, and access certain water rights, maintaining its economic and cultural presence in the region.
The dismissal of Steve Pappas' lawsuit by the California court is a significant development in the ongoing political and general-news saga regarding the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians' land rights and the expansion of the Chumash Casino Resort. This ruling allows the Tribe to maintain its sovereignty and the legal protections for tribal lands held in trust by the federal government, solidifying their economic and cultural presence in the region.
