First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. v. Harrison

¶1 25 U.S.C. § 410 provides that money accruing from any lease of Indian land the United States holds in trust for a Native American is not liable for the payment of any debt or claim against that Native American. The issue here is whether the statute applies when lease payments from Indian trust land are distributed to a Native American and placed in a private bank account.

¶2 Tiffany and Robert Harrison appealed the trial court’s summary judgment award to First-Citizens Bank & *598Trust Company for its breach of contract lawsuit based on the Harrisons’ failure to pay on a promissory note.…