(March 22, 2024, 9:35 AM EDT) -- CHICAGO — Short-term loan agreements issued by a lender affiliated with the Native Village of Minto are unconscionable and violate Illinois public policy because their exclusive application of tribal law forecloses borrowers’ rights to pursue claims under Illinois law that protect residents from usurious loans, an Illinois federal judge found in denying a motion to compel arbitration of class claims arising from the loan agreements filed by the lender and several affiliated parties that were sued by Illinois borrowers....