The Landmine has obtained an ethics complaint sent to the Alaska Bar Association on behalf of the owners of a Juneau Native allotment that the Central Tribes of Tlingit & Haida wants to use for a casino on Douglas Island. 

On January 17, 2025 – three days before Donald Trump took office – the National Indian Gaming Commission approved an ordinance from Tlingit & Haida to allow gaming on the Jimmie George Allotment pursuant to the Alaska Native Allotment Act. 

The complaint does not specifically mention the casino, but references ongoing construction activity on the property.

The complaint alleges that the owners of Jimmie George Allotment signed a mutual non-disclosure agreement without counsel present. Instead, the complaint alleges that Madeline Soboleff-Levy, the previous general counsel for Tlingit & Haida (she suspiciously went to Sealaska in February) and Phillip Baker-Shenk, a Holland & Knight attorney representing Tlingit & Haida, told them unless they signed the NDA they would not be able to retain documents related to the lease. 

The complaint also says that Tlingit & Haida President Richard Peterson had already signed the NDA when it was presented to them. 

The complaint alleges several violations including that Soboleff-Levy and Baker-Shenk dealt with unrepresented persons, attempted to chill communications with federal regulators, and uses coercive tactics. 

The Bar complaint will likely not have any material impact on the lease Tlingit & Haida has with the owners of the Jimmie George Allotment, but it does show that there is now an adversarial relationship between Tlingit & Haida and the owners of the allotment.