Sturdevant v. Wilber

456 F. Supp. 428
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedSeptember 1, 1978
DocketNo. 75-C-381
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 456 F. Supp. 428 (Sturdevant v. Wilber) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sturdevant v. Wilber, 456 F. Supp. 428 (E.D. Wis. 1978).

Opinion

DECISION and ORDER

MYRON L. GORDON, District Judge.

This action is before me on the defendants’ motion to dismiss and the plaintiffs’ motion to amend their complaint. These motions can best be understood when viewed in the context of the legislation which has changed the status of the Menominee Indian Tribe in recent years.

Between 1848 and 1961, the Menominee Indian Tribe lived on lands it had ceded to the United States by treaty. This reservation continued in existence until Congress passed the Termination Act, 25 U.S.C. §§ 891-902, which became effective in 1961. Pursuant to this Act, all tribal property held by the United States was transferred to Menominee Enterprises, Incorporated, and members of the tribe were in the future to be subject to the laws of the state of Wisconsin. The provisions of the Termination Act, however, were short-lived. In 1974, Congress repealed the Termination Act, and in the Menominee Restoration Act (MRA), 25 U.S.C. §§ 903-903Í, mandated the retransfer of the real property held by Menominee Enterprises to the United States. Under 25 U.S.C. § 903b, the Menominee Restoration Committee (MRC) was [430]*430created. The purpose of the MRC was to “represent the Menominee people in the implementation of the Act.” In particular, the MRC was to draw up a constitution and bylaws for the tribe and to conduct an election to select tribal officials. 25 U.S.C. § 903c.

The plaintiffs in this case are four named members of the Menominee Tribe who represent other members of the tribe as a class. The amended complaint in this case seeks injunctive and declaratory relief on behalf of all the enrolled members of the tribe. The gravamen of the complaint is the violation of the plaintiffs’ rights through actions by individual members of the MRC in excess of their statutory authority and also a failure of those members to fulfill their duties pursuant to congressional mandate.

The amended complaint, filed in 1975, stated eleven counts. Six of the counts were dismissed by my order of February 18, 1976. As to the five other counts, my order of that date denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. While counts 1, 4 and 11 alleged that the defendants had taken actions in excess of their authority and had failed to take actions mandated by the MRA, I found that subject matter jurisdiction could be found on the basis of the Indian Civil Rights Act, 25 U.S.C. § 1302(8). Since I found that counts 10 and 11 derived from operative facts common to the federal counts, I held that this court had the power to hear such claims under pendent jurisdiction.

I. DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS

The defendants have now renewed their motion to dismiss this case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The basis of their motion is the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez, 436 U.S. 49, 98 S.Ct. 1670, 56 L.Ed.2d 106 (1978). In Martinez, the Court held that the Indian Civil Rights Act does not authorize private causes of action for declaratory and injunctive relief.

The plaintiffs claim that for various equitable reasons, Martinez should not be applied retroactively to this case. However, I do not believe that the plaintiffs’ arguments on this point are persuasive. In United States v. Fitzgerald, 545 F.2d 578, 582 (7th Cir. 1976), the court stated:

“If the Supreme Court fails to limit the substantive scope of its new rule to purely prospective cases, the court of appeals as an inferior court must assume that the rule applies in all situations.”

The rule stated in Fitzgerald must be followed by this court in determining the effect of Martinez, particularly since that decision speaks to the jurisdiction of this court. Since the Supreme Court did not indicate that its ruling in Martinez was to be purely prospective, I believe that subject matter jurisdiction in this case cannot be based on the Indian Civil Rights Act. If that Act were the only basis for the court’s jurisdiction, I would be compelled to dismiss this action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

I believe, however, that the plaintiffs’ complaint alleges injuries stemming from violation of the Menominee Restoration Act and that the latter Act confers subject matter jurisdiction in this court.

For a cause of action to arise under a federal statute it must “really and substantially involve a dispute or controversy respecting the validity, construction, or effect of such a law, upon the determination of which the result depends.” Shulthis v. McDougal, 225 U.S. 561, 569, 32 S.Ct. 704, 706, 56 L.Ed. 1205 (1912). In this case, count 1 of the plaintiffs’ complaint alleges in part that the rights of the plaintiffs have been infringed by the continuing control of tribal resources by the MRC instead of by the tribal officials who, under the Restoration Act, are to succeed the MRC. Count 4 alleges that tribal assets have been dissipated “as a result of defendants’ decisions and actions unauthorized and beyond the scope of their duties under the Menominee Restoration Act.” Count 7 alleges that tribal assets have been dissipated “as a result . of defendants’ failure to act pur[431]*431suant to their duties under the Menominee Restoration Act.”

The plaintiff has clearly alleged that the defendants acted beyond the mandate of the Restoration Act and have failed to perform certain duties imposed upon them by the Act. Moreover, such duties were owed to the very class which has brought this suit, members of the Menominee Indian Tribe. A determination of the extent of the authority and duties of the MRC under the MRA will be necessary to resolve this suit. Therefore, I find that counts 1, 4, and 7, of the plaintiffs’ amended complaint arise under the Menominee Restoration Act.

Having determined that the plaintiffs have stated a cause of action under the MRA, the more difficult question is whether this court has jurisdiction over such claims. In Martinez, the Supreme Court stated three reasons why the federal courts lack jurisdiction over civil claims for relief under the Indian Civil Rights Act. First, creation of a cause of action under that Act would not comport with the congressional goal of protecting tribal self-government. 436 U.S. 49, 98 S.Ct. 1670. Second, tribal courts are available to vindicate rights created by the Act. Id. Third, the Court stated that Congress may have considered that those issues likely to arise in a civil context under the Act would frequently depend on questions of “tribal tradition and custom which tribal forums may be in a better position to evaluate than federal courts.” Id.

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Related

Sturdevant v. Wilber
464 F. Supp. 327 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
456 F. Supp. 428, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sturdevant-v-wilber-wied-1978.