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AUGUST 2, 2000

Testimony on behalf of New York state began Monday after a Cayuga Nation clan mother concluded the federal government's position in the tribe's land claims lawsuit.

Alexander von Gernet testified that the state acted honorably, despite enacting illegal treaties with the Cayuga Nation. von Gernet also said the state's confusion regarding federal policy on tribes as well as the identity of the leaders of the Cayuga Nation was important to note.

The Department of Justice earlier tried to limit von Gernet's testimony but were denied by US District Judge Neal McCurn. McCurn must decide how much interest, if any, to add to the $36.9 million awarded to the tribe by a jury in February.

Get the Story:
Witness defends Cayugas' treatment (The Albany Times-Union 8/2)
Witness says history shows state was fair (The Syracuse Newspapers 8/2)

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