FLAGSTAFF - Attorneys for a Las Vegas developer argued Friday that his constitutional rights were violated when a northwestern Arizona tribe declared eminent domain over a management contract for the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
But attorneys for the Hualapai Tribe contend that federal court is not the proper venue for litigating the action taken by the Tribal Council earlier this month.
The tribe urged U.S. District Judge David Campbell in Phoenix to reject David Jin's request for a temporary restraining order and stay the case to allow Jin to pursue remedies in tribal court.
"This action is another attempt to convince this court to ignore the sovereignty of the tribe," the tribe's attorneys wrote in documents.
Campbell took the issue under advisement and did not immediately issue a ruling.
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Jin's company reached a contract with the tribe's business arm in 2003 to build, manage and operate the Skywalk - a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge that juts out 70 feet from the Grand Canyon on the tribe's reservation.
The dispute stems from allegations by Jin that the tribe hasn't paid him what he's owed for his investment in the Skywalk. The tribe said it ultimately cut his company, Grand Canyon Skywalk Development, out of overseeing the popular tourist attraction because Jin failed to complete a visitor center and hasn't accounted for funding.
