The DOJ sued the Wisconsin town to block the Native tribe's reservation
» TODAY NEWS PAK » Today Latest News » Breaking News The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin town of Lac du Flambeau for not renewing access easements on American Indian tribal land. The town is looking for unspecified damages, and the tribe has said the title companies representing the property owners want permanent easements, but the tribe is only willing to grant 25-year leases. The lawsuit opens another front in the long-running legal dispute between the town and the Indian tribe, which has barricaded the roads in order to use non-tribal property owners only to get food, prescriptions, propane and other services. A group of property owners sued the tribe in February, asking a judge to force the tribe to remove the barriers. The tribe agreed in March to open the roads for 90 days for $60,000. The case is still pending and a hearing will be heard on Wednesday.
Published : 11 months ago by Today News Pak. in Politics
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to force a northern Wisconsin town to pay unspecified damages for failing to renew access easements on American Indian tribal land.
U.S. Attorney Timothy O’Shea filed the action Wednesday in Madison, seeking a declaration that without an easement the town of Lac du Flambeau is trespassing within the Lac Du Flambeau band of the Lake Superior Chippewa reservation. It is looking for unspecified damages.
The town’s attorney, Greg Harrold, did not respond to an email seeking comment from The Associated Press on Friday.
Wisconsin residents are stuck in their homes as a Native American tribe maintains a blockade over a legal dispute
The lawsuit opens another front in the long-running legal dispute between the town and the tribe. According to court documents, the tribe granted town road easements within the 86,600-acre reservation in the 1960s. The facilities enabled non-tribals to move into the reservation and build homes there.
However, the easements expired about 10 years ago, and the town and tribe could not agree on their renewal. The tribe has said the title companies representing the property owners want permanent easements, but the tribe is only willing to grant 25-year leases.
Native American tribal families living in homes in Wisconsin have received millions of dollars in government funds
The dispute came to a head in January when the tribe barricaded the roads, allowing non-tribal property owners along the roads to use them only to get food, prescriptions, propane and other services. went The tribe demanded the title companies pay $20 million to remove the barriers and agree to a 25-year easement.
A group of property owners sued the tribe in February, asking a judge to force the tribe to remove the barriers. He argued that according to federal law, roads should be open for public use. The tribe agreed in March to open the roads for 90 days for $60,000.
The case is still pending, which will be heard on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge William Conley has asked all parties to be prepared during the hearing to explain how the new lawsuit will affect their case management.
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Attorneys for the landowners, Bridget Hibbing and Olivia Schwartz, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday. An email sent to the tribe’s attorney, Andrew Adams III, received an automated response saying he was out of the office until Monday. His assistant did not immediately respond to an email.
Topics: Wisconsin