Corporations owned by tribal governments are protected by sovereign immunity, the Washington Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.

The justices said a non-Indian man who claimed racial discrimination cannot sue a corporation owned by the Confederated Colville Tribes. Christopher Wright said he was the target of racial slurs by Indian employees.

Wright sued Colville Tribal Enterprise Corp., Colville Tribal Services Corp. and his former supervisor. But the Supreme Court said all tribal entities and officials are protected from suit unless there is a waiver.

"Tribal sovereign immunity protects a tribal corporation owned by a tribe and created under its own laws, absent express waiver of immunity by the tribe or Congressional abrogation," Justice Richard B. Sanders wrote for the majority.

? One judge wrote a concurrence to say she agreed with the outcome but under different reasoning. Two justices signed a dissent, saying the sovereign immunity question was never fully considered.

Get the Story:
Tribal sovereignty protects businesses (The Spokesman Review 12/8)
Wash. high court finds tribal corporations immune from lawsuits (AP 12/8)

Supreme Court Decision:
Majority | Concurrence | Dissent

Lower Court Decision:
Wright v Colville (May 23, 2005)

Relevant Links:
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation - http://www.colvilletribes.com

Related Stories:
Court hears case over alleged racial slurs at job site (05/18)