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MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2003

Florida's two federally-recognized tribes are exploiting a "double standard" when it comes to the court, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel claims in a report.

The paper says the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes have raised sovereign immunity defenses to lawsuits alleging sexual harassment, broken contracts and employment disputes. The paper suggests this is inconsistent because the tribes have used the court system to file their own lawsuits.

No members of either tribe are quoted but an attorney for ousted Seminole chief Jim Billie and a non-Indian ex-employee of the Seminole Tribe are quoted. Both are accused of misusing tribal funds but Billie has escaped prosecution while his close associate Tim Cox was acquitted of stealing from the tribe.

The only tribal member quoted is Bill Lawrence, a Red Lake Ojiwbe newspaper publisher who sits on the board of an anti-treaty rights organization.

Get the Story:
Protected from courts, tribes use law for gain (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 3/9)
Recent court cases (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 3/9)

Relevant Links:
Seminole Tribe - http://www.seminoletribe.com

Related Stories:
Seminole Tribe moves to oust Billie for good (02/28)
Fla. asked to cede jurisdiction over tribe (02/19)