Case of Peabody Western Coal Co. v. Nez

Opinion delivered by

Austin, Acting Chief Justice.

This decision addresses a certified question posed by the United States District Court for the District of Arizona pursuant to Rule 3 of the Navajo Rules for Declaratory Rulings on Questions of Navajo Law (1983). The precise question is “whether [Navajo Nation Council Resolution] No. CJA-18-00, enacted on February 2, 2000 and recognizing workers’ compensation to be the exclusive remedy for covered injuries to employees occurring in the workplace, applies retroactively to cases pending prior to its enactment.” The parties to the United States…