Native Village of Tyonek v. Puckett

957 F.2d 631, 92 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2240, 92 Daily Journal DAR 3553, 1992 U.S. App. LEXIS 4473, 1992 WL 46400
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMarch 16, 1992
DocketNos. 87-3569, 87-3587 and 87-3588
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 957 F.2d 631 (Native Village of Tyonek v. Puckett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Native Village of Tyonek v. Puckett, 957 F.2d 631, 92 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2240, 92 Daily Journal DAR 3553, 1992 U.S. App. LEXIS 4473, 1992 WL 46400 (9th Cir. 1992).

Opinion

ORDER

The opinion filed January 13, 1992, is withdrawn.

OPINION

ALARCON, Circuit Judge:

In Native Village of Tyonek v. Puckett, 890 F.2d 1054 (9th Cir.1989), we reversed the dismissal of the Village of Tyonek’s (Village) complaint against Donald and Erna Puckett (Pucketts) and Fred and Virginia Slawson (Slawsons). We affirmed the dismissal of the Pucketts and Slawsons counterclaims against the Village, and their third-party claims against four Village Council officials. We also affirmed the dismissal of the Village’s complaint against Alexandra and Esther Kaloa (Kaloas) and Alec and Olga Constantine (Constantines). This matter was remanded to this court by the Supreme Court for our reconsideration in light of its decision in Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Citizen Band Potawatomi [633]*633Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, — U.S.-, 111 S.Ct. 905, 112 L.Ed.2d 1112 (1991). We have concluded that we cannot determine the applicability of Oklahoma Tax Commission until the district court has had the opportunity to prepare express findings to support its holding that the Native Village of Tyonek is an Indian tribe protected by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, and that its real property is “Indian country.”

BACKGROUND

The Native Village of Tyonek (Village) filed a complaint in the district court. The object of this action is to evict Donald and Erna Puckett (Pucketts) and Fred and Virginia Slawson (Slawsons) from Village territory because they are not members of the tribe. The Village alleged that the extended presence of non-members Pucketts and Slawsons in Village territory violated Village Ordinance No. 4. The Village also sought to enjoin tribal members Alexandra and Esther Kaloa (Kaloas), and Alec and Olga Constantine (Constantines) from leasing their homes to the Pucketts and Slaw-sons in violation of Village Ordinance No. 65-32.

The Pucketts and Slawsons filed counterclaims against the Village and third party complaints against four Village Council officers, alleging violations of their constitutional and civil rights. The Kaloas and Constantines moved to dismiss the Village’s complaint. The remaining parties moved for summary judgment.

The district court dismissed the Village’s complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The district court also dismissed the counterclaims and third party complaints. The district court concluded that the Village is a tribe and is immune from suit under the doctrine of sovereign immunity and that the Village Council officers are protected from liability based on derivative sovereign immunity. The district court explained its ruling on this question as follows:

I conclude, based upon Tyonek’s history and the manner in which the federal government has dealt with Tyonek, that the Village possesses sovereign immunity from suit like that of any other Indian tribes in the contiguous United States. I further conclude that neither the federal government nor Tyonek has waived the Village’s immunity in this case or consented for the Pucketts and Slawsons to bring counterclaims against it. I also conclude that the claims of the Pucketts and Slawsons against Tyonek's officers are based upon conduct within the scope of these officers’ official capacities and within the scope of the authority that the Village is capable of bestowing upon them.

The district court did not enter written findings in support of its conclusion that the Village is a tribe protected by the doctrine of sovereign immunity.

The Kaloas and Constantines appeal from the dismissal of the Village’s complaint against them. The Village appeals from the dismissal of the complaint. The Pucketts and the Slawsons appeal from the dismissal of their counterclaims and third-party claims. This court has jurisdiction over each appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1291.

DISCUSSION

A. Standing of the Kaloas and the Constantines to File an Appeal

The Kaloas and Constantines argue that the injunctive relief sought by the Village, if granted, would amount to the judicial enforcement of a racially restrictive ordinance in violation of the United States Constitution, the Indian Civil Rights Act (25 U.S.C. § 1302), the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (42 U.S.C. § 1982), the Village’s own corporate charter, and Supreme Court precedent.

Because the district court dismissed the Village’s complaint against the Kaloas and Constantines and did not grant injunctive relief, the Kaloas and Constantines have no standing to appeal. See Public Serv. Comm’n v. Brashear Freight Lines Inc., 306 U.S. 204, 206, 59 S.Ct. 480, 481, 83 L.Ed. 608 (1939) (successful party below has no standing to appeal from the denial of an injunction); Bryant v. Technical Research Co., 654 F.2d 1337, 1343 (9th Cir.1981) (a party not aggrieved by the district [634]*634court’s order has no standing to appeal). Accordingly, their appeal must be dismissed.

B. Subject Matter Jurisdiction Over the Village’s Cause of Action

The district court concluded it did not have subject matter jurisdiction over the Village’s complaint because the claims alleged against the defendants involved the enforcement of village ordinances and not federal law. In so holding, the district court relied on the rationale of Boe v. Fort Belknap Indian Community, 642 F.2d 276 (9th Cir.1981), in which we held that the application of a tribal ordinance did not involve a federal question. Id. at 279. We agree with the district court that we do not have subject matter jurisdiction under Boe to hear the Village’s complaint against the Kaloas and Constantines. As in Boe, the Village argues that the allegations in their complaint are sufficient to state a cause of action which ‘arises under’ federal law because the Village’s ordinances were adopted pursuant to and under the authority of the Indian Reorganization Act, 25 U.S.C. §§ 476, 477. Although “[i]t is true that 25 U.S.C. §§ 476, 477 provide the authority and procedures whereby Indian tribes may adopt constitutions and bylaws and ratify corporate charters, ... that fact alone is insufficient to confer federal question jurisdiction” over a dispute between members of a tribe. Id. We also conclude, however, that Boe does not preclude us from asserting subject matter jurisdiction over the Village’s complaint against the Pucketts and Slawsons.

Boe involved the application of a tribal ordinance exclusively to tribal members. Boe

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957 F.2d 631, 92 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2240, 92 Daily Journal DAR 3553, 1992 U.S. App. LEXIS 4473, 1992 WL 46400, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/native-village-of-tyonek-v-puckett-ca9-1992.