Quinault Nation secures dismissal of lawsuit over lake ownership

Thursday, March 10, 2016  

The Quinault Nation of Washington hailed the dismissal of a second lawsuit that challenged the tribe's ownership of a lake within reservation boundaries

A superior court judge in Thurston County affirmed that Lake Quinault belongs to the tribe. Opponents claimed it fell under state jurisdiction.

"Lake Quinault always has been and always will be part of the Nation's Reservation. The Nation will always take every step necessary to protect its land and its rights and oppose any attempt to diminish or undermine our interests," President Fawn Sharp said in a press release.

A federal judge dismissed a similar lawsuit in May 2015. The same plaintiff, North Quinault Properties, tried to revive the dispute by going to state court.

Get the Story:
Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Quinault tribe's control of lake (The Peninsula Daily News 3/9)

Quinault Nation hails dismissal of lawsuit over lake ownership (5/5)
Steven Newcomb: Domination doctrine and the Quinault Nation (03/04)
Quinault Nation to reopen lake on reservation to non-Indians (04/16)
Quinault Nation closes lake over concerns about water quality (04/17)