Judge to hear Cayuga Nation lawsuit on foreclosure proceedings

Monday, January 10, 2011  

The Cayuga Nation will be in federal court this Thursday to prevent two New York counties from foreclosing on its land.

The tribe owns land in Seneca County and Cayuga County. Both counties say the tribe has failed to pay about $129,500 in property taxes.

In a related case, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that two counties can't foreclose on land owned by the Oneida Nation. The U.S. Supreme Court was going to hear the case on February 23 but vacated and remanded the case today becuase the tribe has waived its sovereign immunity, a key issue in the dispute.

AS for the Cayuga Nation, the tribe believes it can stop the foreclosures. The move comes as the Bureau of Indian Affairs is close to a decision to place 125 acres in the two counties in trust.

Get the Story:
Cayugas: Sovereign land can’t be foreclosed (The Auburn Citizen 1/8)
Federal decision awaited in Cayugas' bid to put 125 acres in Cayuga/Seneca counties into trust (The Syracuse Post-Standard 1/10)

Two counties start foreclosure proceedings against Cayuga Nation (1/6)