JUDICIAL APPEALS TRIBUNAL
OF THE CHEROKEE NATION
LUCY
ALLEN,
Plaintiff,
v.
JAT-04-09
CHEROKEE NATION TRIBAL
COUNCIL,
Defendant,
and
LELA UMMERTESKEE,
Registrar,
and
REGISTRATION COMMITTEE,
MOTION TO DISMISS WITH CITATIONS TO AUTHORITY
Comes now Cherokee Nation on behalf of Leia Ummerteskee and the
Registration
1
Committee, and moves to dismiss the case because the Court lacks
jurisdiction to hear the
matter. In support of its motion, Cherokee Nation states the following:
1. The Cherokee Nation enjoys sovereign immunity from suit. Rorex v. Cherokee Nation,
JAT-
93-05 at 2.
2. The Cherokee Nation has not waived its immunity from suit nor has
the petitioner cited any
authority which purports to waive the sovereign immunity of the tribe
to allow it to be sued.
Unless sovereign immunity is waived by the Cherokee People or their
representatives, the tribe
cannot be sued. Id.
at 4.
3. The fact that the tribe cannot be sued without a waiver of immunity
is well-established.
Accordingly, a lawsuit against the tribe where no waiver exists is
frivolous and subjects the
petitioner to sanctions.
_______________________
1
The petition does not state whether Ms. Ummerteskee is being
sued in her official or
individual capacity. Cherokee Nation assumes it is a suit against her
in her official capacity. If
not, Cherokee Nation will withdraw from representing her.
Wherefore, Cherokee Nation prays that the Court will dismiss this
action because of lack
of jurisdiction and that the Court will award the Cherokee Nation its
reasonable attorney fees and
costs for defending this
action.
_________________________
Richard D. Osbum, CNBA#132
Cherokee Nation Department of Justice
P.O. Box 948
Tahlequah, OK 74465
(918) 456-0671, ext. 2438
(918) 45 8-6142 (fax)
Certificate of Service
I hereby certify that on the 8th day of October 2004,1 mailed a true
and correct copy of the
foregoing Motion to Dismiss, via first-class mail with sufficient
postage prepaid thereon, to:
Lucy Alien
5 518 N.Hartford Place
Tulsa,OK74126
Todd
Hembree
Council
House
________________
Richard D: Osbum