Title: Gustafson v. Poitra
Citation: 2011 ND 150
Docket Number: 
State: north-dakota
Issuer: north-dakota Supreme Court
Date: August 10, 2011

Gustafson v. Poitra Annotate this Case Justia Opinion Summary Defendant Linus Poitra appealed a default judgment entered by the district court regarding a lease between Plaintiff Darrel Gustafson as lessee and Leon and Linus Poitra as lessors. Linus Poitra argued the district court did not have subject matter jurisdiction to enter the default judgment because the Poitras were members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and the land subject to the lease is Indian-owned fee land located within the boundaries of the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. Linus Poitra argued the default judgment infringed upon tribal sovereignty because of cases pending in the Turtle Mountain Tribal Court. Upon review of the applicable legal authority and the evidence presented at trial, the Supreme Court vacated the default judgment finding that the district court did not have subject matter jurisdiction over the lease. Read more Want to stay in the know about new opinions from the North Dakota Supreme Court? Sign up for free summaries delivered directly to your inbox. Learn More › You already receive new opinion summaries from North Dakota Supreme Court. Did you know we offer summary newsletters for even more practice areas and jurisdictions? Explore them here .Filed Aug. 10, 2011 IN THE SUPREME COURT STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA 2011 ND 150 Darrel Gustafson and