Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-3_03-cv-02496/USCOURTS-azd-3_03-cv-02496-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 290
Nature of Suit: Other Real Property Actions
Cause of Action: 28:2409(a) Quiet Title Action

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 The Federal Defendants are Kathleen Clarke and Gale Norton, who is no longer

Secretary of the Int erior. Because Gale Norton is sued in her official capacity, P. Lynn

Scarlett, acting Secretary of the Interior, will be substituted for Gale Norton. See Fed. R.

Civ. P. 25(d)(1) (providing automatic substitution of public officer sued in official capacity).

WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Grand Canyon West Ranch, LLC, an

Arizona limited liability company, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Gale Norton, in her official capacit y as the

Secretary of the United States Depart ment

of the Interior; Kat hleen Clarke, in her

official capacity as the Director of the

Bureau of Land Management; County of

Mohave, 

Defendants. 

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No. CV 03-2496-PHX-EHC

ORDER

Pending before the Court is the Federal1

 Defendants' Motion to Dismiss on the basis

of sovereign immunity. [Dkt. 58]. The Motion is fully briefed.

Plaintiff owns real property in Mohave County that is used for cattle ranching and

hosting tourists. Based on Deeds of Dedication, Mohave County has established Diamond

Case 3:03-cv-02496-NVW Document 91 Filed 04/27/06 Page 1 of 3
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 Mohave County's right to Diamond Bar Road under the Deeds of Dedication has

been resolved. The Court grant ed Mohave County's Motion for Summary Judgment on

Plaintiff's claim that the Deeds of Dedication had not been accepted. [Dkt. 54].

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Bar Road on Plaintiff's property. 2 T he Bureau of Land Management has a roadway

easement across Plaintiff's property. Mohave County and the Bureau of Land Management

have allegedly planned to expand the use of Diamond Bar Road as a rout e servicing Grand

Canyon tours and casino gambling hosted by the Hualapai Nation. 

Absent a waiver, the United States is immune from suit. Alaska v. Babbitt, 38 F.3d

1068, 1072 (9th Cir. 1994). The United States waived sovereign immunit y for certain

disputes involving real property in the Quiet Title Act. 28 U.S.C. § 2409a. To find a waiver

under the Quiet Title Act there must be "a disputed title to real property in which the

United States claims an interest." § 2409a(a). The parties agree that Plaintiff has alleged the

United States claims an interest in the property at issue. [Dkts. 59, p. 4; 74, p. 2]. 

The issue is whether the Unit ed St at es disputes title to Plaintiff's property. A

dispute concerning the scope of an easement can constitute a title dispute under §

2409a(a). Kootenai Canyon Ranch, Inc. v. United States Forest Serv., 338 F. Supp. 2d 1129,

1133 (D. Mont. 2004) (sovereign immunity waived where "the government has an easement

in land for which the Plaintiff owns the servient estate, and the part ies disp ut e the scope

of that easement").

Plaintiff alleges t hat the Bureau of Land Management's easement for "the use of

Diamond Bar Road was limited to providing a means of access to BLM lands locat ed in t he

area surrounding" Plaintiff's p rop ert y . [Dkt. 5, p. 4]. The Burea of Land Management

allegedly "claims it has the right to allow commercial traffic on Diamond Bar Road pursuant

to the BLM easement." [Dkt . 5, p . 5]. Plaintiff alleges that the United States Department of

the Interior prepared an environmental impact statement analyzing "realingment of

Diamond Bar Road in certain places and widening the current dirt road and adding a hard

surface pavement converting it into a fully paved highway." [Dkt. 5, p. 6]. Plaintiff furt her

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alleges t hat "there are also issues of failure of consideration, intent, and consummation and

procedural irregularities of the BLM easement which may render it unenforceable." [Dkt.

5, p. 7]. Plaintiff has alleged a dispute concerning the scop e of t he easement and whether

it is enforceable. That is a dispute to title allowing the application of t he Quiet Title Act's

waiver of the United States' sovereign immunity. 

Accordingly,

IT IS ORDERED that the Federal Defendants' M ot ion to Dismiss [dkt. 58] is

DENIED. 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Federal Defendant s' Request for Oral

Argument on Pending Motion to Dismiss [dkt. 85] is DENIED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that P. Lynn Scarlett, in her official capacity as the

Acting Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, is substituted for Gale

Norton.

DATED this 26th day of April, 2006.

Case 3:03-cv-02496-NVW Document 91 Filed 04/27/06 Page 3 of 3