Opinion ID: 463549
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: appellants' cross-motion for summary judgment1

Text: 32 Appellants also contend that they were entitled to summary judgment on res judicata or collateral estoppel grounds: they argue that Judge Walsh's decision in United States v. Adams that the tribal court lacked jurisdiction to enter the default judgment in the Tribe's civil suit against Kayle Adams precludes relitigation of that question. We disagree. 33 The doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel operate to preclude relitigation of claims or issues in a subsequent action between the same parties or those in privity with them. 1B J. Moore, J. Lucas & T. Currier, Moore's Federal Practice p 0.405, at 178 (2d ed. 1984). While collateral estoppel may in some cases be available to estop a party to a prior proceeding from denying what was there judicially determined, such a judgment cannot be pleaded offensively against a non-party to the prior action by one who was a party. See id. p 0.411, at 387. 34 In the instant case, the Tribe was not a party to the criminal action against Adams. We have held that a person technically not a party to the prior action may be bound by the prior decision only if his interests are so similar to a party's that the party was his 'virtual representative' in the prior action. United States v. Geophysical Corp., 732 F.2d at 697 (quoting United States v. ITT Rayonier, Inc., 627 F.2d 996, 1003 (9th Cir.1980)). Appellants have produced no evidence to show that the United States was the virtual representative of the Tribe in the criminal action, or indeed, that the Tribe had the right to participate in or control Adams' criminal prosecution. See American Safety Flight Systems, Inc. v. Garrett Corp., 528 F.2d 288, 289 (9th Cir.1975) (non-party cannot be estopped to relitigate issues involved in an earlier suit unless he had the right to participate and control such prosecution or defense). 35 Appellants' contention that the law of the case doctrine bars relitigation of the question of the tribal court's jurisdiction is equally meritless. Under the law of the case doctrine, a court is precluded from re-examining an issue previously decided by the same court, or a higher appellate court, in the same case. United States v. Maybusher, 735 F.2d 366, 370 (9th Cir.1984), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 105 S.Ct. 790, 83 L.Ed.2d 783 (1985). In the instant matter, the doctrine is inapposite; appellants seek to apply Judge Walsh's decision made in a different case. 36 The district court properly denied appellants' cross-motion for summary judgment.