DISPUTE BETWEEN RIVAL FACTIONS OF THE CAYUGA NATION INVOLVES TRIBAL LAW AND IS NOT THEREFORE WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF NEW YORK COURTS (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a lengthy, comprehensive opinion by Judge Feinman, over two dissenting opinions, determined the dispute between two factions of the Cayuga Nation involved tribal law and therefore was not within the jurisdiction of New York courts. The opinion is too detailed to fairly summarize here:

Members of the Cayuga Nation, a federally-recognized Indian tribe, have been embroiled in a leadership dispute for more than a decade. One faction commenced this action, purportedly on behalf of the Nation, against individuals comprising the rival faction, asserting tort claims that are premised solely on defendants’ alleged lack of authority to act on behalf of the Nation. To resolve these claims, New York courts would have to decide whether defendants were, at various times, or remain legitimate leaders of the tribe, a question that turns on disputed issues of tribal law that are not cognizable in the courts of this state given the Nation’s exclusive authority over its internal affairs. Contrary to plaintiff’s contentions, we cannot avoid this fundamental jurisdictional problem by decontextualizing a limited recognition determination issued by the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that recognized the plaintiff faction as the tribal government for the purpose of distributing federal funds. We therefore hold that New York courts lack subject matter jurisdiction to consider this dispute. Cayuga Nation v Campbell, 2019 NY Slip Op 07711, CtApp 10-29-19