United States Ex Rel. John Yellow Bird Steele v. Turn Key Gaming, Inc. Wayne Barber

John Yellow Bird Steele, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (Tribe), appeals the dismissal of his qui tarn action against Turn Key Gaming, Inc. (Turn Key) and Wayne Barber, president of Turn Key. Steele filed this suit, seeking to have contracts between the Tribe and the defendants declared void and to recover money the Tribe paid to the defendants under the contracts. The United States District Court for the District of South Dakota dismissed Steele’s action for failure to join the Tribe as an indispensable party under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 19(b). We reverse.

I

This suit arises out…