Updates are posted as received from the courts. Consult the advance sheets and bound volumes of the official reports for final revisions and proper pagination. Plaintiff is an Indian tribe. Plaintiff incorporated as a Michigan nonprofit corporation in 1970. Plaintiff is administered by an elected chairman and council.
Defendant is a member of the tribe.
The contract provided that defendant would engage in genealogical research for plaintiff in its effort to gain formal recognition as an Indian tribe by the federal government. Subsequently, the tribe underwent a change of leadership, and in December 1993, the new leadership discharged defendant. This notice is based on a determination that the group satisfies the criteria set forth in 25 CFR 83.7 as modified by 25 CFR 83.8. Plaintiff asserted that because it is a federally recognized Indian tribe, it is entitled to sovereign immunity. Plaintiff also moved to amend its answer to defendant's counterclaim to assert sovereign immunity as an affirmative defense.