Phillips v. Navajo Housing Authority

An owner of a mutual help home sued the Navajo Housing Authority for damages arising from NHA’s alleged failure to complete renovations to her home. The Shiprock District Court dismissed the case, apparently ruling that NHA had sovereign immunity based on a Navajo Nation Council resolution passed after the filing of the suit. The Court vacates the district court’s decision and remands for further proceedings.

I

The relevant facts are taken from the parties’ pleadings and the record of the Shiprock District court.1 Appellant Dorothy Phillips (Phillips) owns a mutual help home in the Aneth…