A federal judge has consolidated tribal tobacco lawsuits in New York at the request of the state.

The Seneca Nation and the Cayuga Nation filed suit in the Western District of New York. The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe filed suit in the Northern District.

Judge Lawrence E. Kahn ordered the Mohawk lawsuit to be consolidated with the Seneca/Cayuga one. The tribe opposed the request.

"It would be an unnecessary waste of judicial resources for two federal judges to spend time and expense hearing the same claims, in addition to creating the potential for two courts to reach inconsistent results," Judge Kahn wrote in his order, The Watertown Daily Times reported. "The interests of judicial economy and avoiding inconsistent outcomes counsel in favor of transferring."

The consolidated lawsuits will be heard by Judge Richard J. Arcara in the Western District. Arcara has issued a temporary restraining order that blocks the state from imposing its tobacco tax.

Get the Story:
St. Regis Mohawk tax lawsuit will merge with other tribes' (The Watertown Daily Times 10/8)
Senator Griffo Wants to Halt Cigarette Taxes (The North Country News 10/7)

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