A view of Lake Quinault in Washington. Photo by Tom Harpel / Flickr
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that questioned whether the Quinault Nation owns a lake within reservation boundaries. Some property owners sued the tribe and the Washington Department of Natural Resources in January, claiming that Lake Quinault was never included in reservation boundaries. Judge Ronald B. Leighton did not rule on the merits but instead determined that the tribe and the state are entitled to sovereign immunity. “This quick and explicit ruling was never in doubt,” President Fawn Sharp said in a press release. “As I said back in January, Lake Quinault is undisputedly within the Quinault Reservation. This was a meritless lawsuit. Lake Quinault is sacred to us. It is unquestionably within our reservation and we take our responsibility to manage it properly very seriously.” Turtle Talk has posted documents from the case, North Quinault Properties v. Quinault Nation. Get the Story:
Federal judge dismisses Lake Quinault ownership lawsuit (AP 5/5)
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