Legal Opinion
Sevastian v. Sevastian
Connecticut Appellate Court
Decided November 19, 2002No. AC 22622PublishedCited by 4 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion
PETERS, J.
As a matter of federal law, Native American tribes are not subject to suit in state court unless Congress authorizes suit or the tribe unequivocally waives its sovereign immunity. The issue in this case is whether an Indian tribe waives its immunity from state court tort actions by purchasing property outside the reservation. The trial court dismissed the plaintiffs tort action against the tribe. It concluded that the purchase of off-reservation property does not constitute a waiver of tribal immunity. We agree.
On August 31, 2001, the plaintiff, Vanessa J. Douchette…
2Cases cited7 opinions
- Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma v. Manufacturing Technologies, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1998
- Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation v. Wold Engineering, P. C.Supreme Court of the United States · 1986
- Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma v. Manufacturing Technologies, Inc.Supreme Court of the United States · 1998
- Lawrence Brunoli, Inc. v. Town of BranfordSupreme Court of Connecticut · 1999
- Kizis v. Morse Diesel International, Inc.Supreme Court of Connecticut · 2002
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3Cited by4 opinions
- Koscielak v. Stockbridge-Munsee CommunityCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin · 2012
- Winslow v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming AuthorityMohegan Gaming Disputes Trial Court · 2004
- Davidson v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming AuthorityConnecticut Appellate Court · 2006
- Dontigney v. BrownConnecticut Appellate Court · 2004